Thank You For The Compliments, Twinkle Toes
by Bleeding Wings
Summary: Aang and Toph respected each other as student and teacher in Earthbending. Now their relationship has grown to so much more. Katara won't stand for it! A major force faces the Aang gang: a lethal ninja clan called the Dark Infernos! TAANG MADNESS!
1. Me and My Big Mouth

**Thank You For The Compliments, Twinkle Toes**

By Bleeding Wings

//Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, the antagonistic Dark Inferno Clan and other OC's that'll aid the main characters belong to me. Sit back, relax and enjoy the tale!//

"COME ON, TWINKLE TOES! If you wanna be an earth-bender, you gotta be as TOUGH as an earth-bender! Shoulders square! Thighs parallel to the ground! ARMS parallel to the ground!"

"Gotcha, Sifu Toph!"

For over an hour now, Aang has been in his horse stance. The Avatar continued to look as though he was sitting in an imaginary chair, with three pairs of stone rings on his wrists. Aang grinded his teeth and felt sweat pour through his eyebrows as he felt the strain on his arms and legs continue to agonize him. However, Aang dared not to complain about Toph's training. Toph was being tough on Aang to prepare him for his destiny, and for that Aang will continue to respect her.

"… Okay, Twinkle Toes. Enough with the warm-ups and let's get down to the REAL training!" Toph faced Aang 100 feet away from her and ripped out a huge boulder from the earth. The mighty earth-bender hurled the 15-ton boulder right at the Avatar with all her earth-bending might. As the boulder was closing in on him, Aang let out a battle-cry and demolished the boulder into hundreds of pieces, still remaining in his horse stance. When his eyes form into a pair of slits, the shards of what's left of the boulder spiraled together and roughly formed the shape of a dragon. Aang's rock-dragon flew right for Toph and whipped its tail right at the blind warrior, but Toph was ready for his attack. Toph waved her hand in an upward motion and created a rock-wall, blocking Aang's attack. The young girl quickly transformed her wall into an enormous wheel well studded with stone spikes and had it run right towards Aang, flying at 50 miles per hour!

All of a sudden, the spiked wheel stopped at its tracks, inches away from Aang. Refusing to dodge the attack, Aang focused heavily on not letting the wheel of death run him over. Toph held out her hands and continued to push the wheel towards Aang with her own earth-bending powers. The teacher and the pupil got themselves into a power struggle, seeing whose earth-bending will conquer whose. Aang and Toph grinded their teeth as they push their earth-bending powers to the limit, seeing who shall be victorious.

Fifteen minutes later the wheel of death began to move. Right towards Toph. The spiked wheel began to pick up momentum, speed climbing rapidly. Toph grinded her teeth and tried to move the wheel right back to Aang, but it was no good. Thanks to Aang, the spiked wheel of death rampaged right towards Toph!

Not once has the Avatar moved from his horse stance.

Toph began to feel her legs give in, feeling her strength overpowered by her own pupil's.

"Strong… he's too strong…" Toph fell on her knees and hands, too weak to get out of the spiky wheel's warpath!

"TOPH!" With one stroke of his hand, the wheel disintegrated into rubble. Aang ran to his teacher and cradled her into his arms. The blind warrior slowly opened her eyes.

"You're… you're good. Real good. I… I never thought anyone could surpass my earth-bending. You'll make… you'll make a perfect earth-bending master."

"Toph, don't talk so much. I'm bringing you back to camp!"

Back at camp Katara was sharpening up her water-bending skills while Sokka was busy picking his nose. Both of the siblings spotted Aang carrying the semi-conscious Toph in his arms.

"Sokka! Get her sleeping bag ready! Aang, lie her in the bag quick! I'll get her some tea!" Sokka and Aang did what Katara told them in a flash. Feeling drained from her earth-bending power struggle with Aang, Toph slowly opened her eyes.

"… Hey, Aang. You did me proud, Twinkle Toes. That, you did."

Aang clamped his hand onto Toph's like comrades-in-arms.

"… I learned from the best." Aang responded.

"Well here's something I didn't expect. Aang carries Toph back to camp while Toph is too messed up get to camp on her own. Normally, it's the other way around."

"You could be a little more compassionate, Sokka. Here, Toph. Drink this."

Katara handed Toph a nice cup of honey-lemon tea, fresh water from the river nearby camp. Lying in her sleeping bag, Toph inclined her back with a rock-wall and slowly drank her tea.

"… Thanks, sugar-queen. I see that your healing skills you told me about are top-notch. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything, Toph. Now I want you to rest while Sokka and I go to the forest to collect some wood for campfire. We'll be back as soon as we can. Aang, keep her company, okay?"

"Sure thing, Katara."

"Hey! Why do I have to help find some wood? Hunting animals is my forte! Not getting a bunch of some stupid-"

Katara yanked Sokka by the ear and pulled him away from the camp. Sokka let out a yelp.

"We're collecting wood whether you like it or not!" Katara and Sokka disappear into the forest, Katara's trusty fingers still yanking on Sokka's ear. By the time those two were gone, Aang and Toph giggled.

"Oh, that Sokka. I'm really glad you have a clown in your group, Aang. We do need a few laughs every now and then."

"Actually, Toph, Sokka's a really cool guy, once you get to know him. And don't underestimate him for not being a bender. He really has a good head on his shoulders."

"Yeah. And Katara's Zuko's girlfriend." Both the kids laughed out loud.

"Toph? I'm… I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to put you through that situation. I'll try to restrain my earth-bending next time."

"Restrain yourself? Are you KIDDING me? That was the most awesome earth-bending I've ever experienced!"

"But Toph, I nearly crushed you!"

"Aang. Aang, listen to me. You're on your way to fully mastering the art of earth-bending. It's my duty to help prepare the Avatar restore balance to the world. Even if you did crush me with your own earth-bending powers, you'd still reach your goal of becoming an earth-bending master. Isn't that all that matters?"

"No way, Toph! There's no way I'm going to lose any of my friends! Not Katara, not Sokka, not Appa, not Momo…"

Aang looked down to the ground and started to feel his face blush. The Avatar sat closer to Toph, still in her sleeping bag and inclined by a rock.

"… Not even you." The blind earth-bender felt her heart slightly leap from Aang's change of voice-tone. Toph placed her cup of tea on the ground.

"… Thank you, Aang. That… that's very nice of you to say."

"Toph, you're my friend. There's no way I could let anything happen to you. You're just as special to me as everyone else in the gang."

"I'm really glad I joined you and your friends. You're definitely different from the boys I knew back at Ba Sing Se about a year ago. They use to always make fun of me, comparing me to the other girls by calling me ugly and flat-chested. Damn, I couldn't stand it!" Feeling warm from the tea, Toph unzipped her bag and opened it up to get some air.

"I'm sorry you went through that stuff, Toph. Boys can be really mean."

"But you're not. You're much kinder than those other boys."

"Thanks, Toph. I don't understand why they'd put you down! You're far from ugly! To tell you the truth, you're one of the cutest girls I've ever met-"

Aang bit his lip.

(Shut up, Aang! What are you thinking?) Aang thought to himself.

"… You think I'm… cute?" Toph asked. Aang began to feel heat build up. The young Avatar adjusted his collar.

"Well… yeah. I really like the way you fixed your hair, making it all wild and stuff. And you have the nicest eyes. They're … they're nice. And you're in really good shape. I mean, there's no way in the world you're flat-chested-"

Aang slapped both hands over his mouth.

(… Why the hell did I bring that up?)

Toph couldn't believe what Aang was saying to her. Toph slithered out of her sleeping bag and sat much closer to Aang. With a sly smile on her face, Toph leaned towards Aang and brought her lips near his ear. Aang's face blushed even harder.

"… Is there anything else you'd like to get off your… chest?" Toph asked. Aang began to fidget and felt a bead of sweat pour down his head.

"You have the nicest… feet." A split second later, Aang created his trusty air-scooter and blasted off!

"I'MGONNAFINDSOMEBERRIESANDNUTSI'LLBERIGHTBACKGOTTAGOSEEYA!" In an instant, Aang was gone. The only ones left to give Toph company were Appa and Momo. Feeling her heart make an extra beat, Toph couldn't help facing the direction Aang sped off to. Momo glided in the air and landed on Toph's shoulder. Feeling her face blush, Toph fed Momo a nut. Momo let out a few squeaks and jitters.

"No, Momo. Aang is feeling okay. He's just going through some changes, that's all."

Toph caressed her own face, imagining Aang touching her the same way. Her lovely smile began to widen.

"… Thank you for the compliments, Twinkle Toes…"


	2. It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's KATARA

"AAAAAAAHHHH! Raccoon on a stick! Now THIS is the breakfast of champions!" Sokka was in the middle of roasting six dead raccoons over the campfire while Katara was getting fresh water from the river. Nothing starts the morning off better than fresh water and dead raccoons coated with barbeque sauce!

Toph opened her eyes and let out a big yawn. The great earth-bender stretched her whole body and scratched herself, greeting yet another wonderful day.

"Rise and shine, Toph! Breakfast will be ready in about 20 minutes. You can have the raccoon without a tail," Sokka said, taking a bite out of one of the dead raccoons' hind legs. Rubbing his chin, he added a little more salt. Toph looked around, but she couldn't sense his smell anywhere.

"Hey, Sokka. Do you know where Aang went?"

"Oh yeah. Aang went into the forest. He said he needed to do some serious meditating. If you want to join him, he said he'll be in the-"

"Don't worry, Sokka. I'll track him down in the forest. Not only can I feel his vibrations from the ground but I can also sniff him out. Thanks for pointing the way though."

"No problem, Toph. Just be sure to get back in time. Don't want to let these tasty raccoons go to waste."

"Sure thing, Sokka. We'll be back in a jiff." Toph jumped out of her sleeping bag and ran off. Sokka rubbed his chin again, wondering why she's in such a hurry to find Aang. Moments later, Katara returned from the river carrying six newly refilled bags of water.

"Sokka, are you sure it's wise to let Toph wonder off on her own?"

"Sure it's okay, Katara. Toph is as tough as nails. Earth is her element, and there's a whole lot of it around here. She and Aang are just fine."

Katara looked down to the earth slightly, unable to fight her motherly instincts, not to mention worrying about a possible surprise attack from the Fire Nation.

"… I hope you're right, Sokka."

Toph carefully ventured through the forest. The earth wasn't much of a problem, but the trees were quite a pain in the ass for the tomboy. After brushing off yet another bunch of branches in her way, she took in a familiar scent.

"… I found you, Aang. And I really like the way you smell…"

Aang sat comfortably on a large rock while in meditation. The young Avatar took in fresh forest air, enjoying the fresh scent. Another lovely scent entered Aang's nostrils. He opened his eyes and smiled to himself, recognizing Toph's scent.

"Good morning, Toph!" Aang said, spotting Toph a few feet below him.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes. Don't start your meditation without me!"

"Sorry about that. Here. Gimme your hand."

Aang pulled Toph up to the steep rock and sat right next to the Avatar, sitting in a meditative position just like her friend.

"Aaaaahh. The air's fresh, the sun's on its way, and nobody's around to bother us at all. This is the perfect way to start the day," Toph said.

"Yeah, tell me about it. There's nothing more important than channeling into your inner self, peacefully sharpening your mind, body and spirit," Aang replied. Toph wore a crooked grin.

"… Aang. Speaking about minds, I can't shake off what you told me yesterday."

Aang's eyes widen.

"… Really?"

"Yeah, really. I want to thank you for the compliments you gave me. No boy has ever said anything nice to me. They either didn't like me or were just too chicken to tell me. It was very sweet and chivalric of you. You'd make an excellent soldier of fortune."

"Thanks, Toph. And you'd make the perfect girlfriend," Aang said quietly, remembering the image of Toph giggling and running away from him back at the Swamp. The girlfriend remark he whispered to himself.

The sun finally began to crack through the mountains. Aang and Toph began to feel more energy from the rays of the sun, feeling as though they were completely energized.

"The sun's so beautiful! If only you can see it!" Aang said. Toph sat closer to Aang and gently held Aang's hand. Aang slightly looked away and blushed, not wanting to let go. Toph blushed and rested her head on Aang's shoulder.

(… Not even the sun can be as beautiful as you are… Twinkle Toes…)

Nearly a half hour later, Aang and Toph made back in time to chow down breakfast. So far, everyone is enjoying Sokka's latest delicacy. It's proven to be five times better than dead rats dipped in caramel sauce and his dragon egg-omelet.

While Katara was nibbling on her own raccoon, she couldn't help but notice Aang and Toph talking while they were eating. Usually, they had a rocky teacher-pupil relationship. Then it grew to a friendship. However, something was different between those two. Now the two 12-year-olds would laugh, throw food at each other; even feed each other their own food! Could it be that they're-

(No. I… I just don't want to believe it. Aang and Toph having a bond. What a joke! I mean, what does Aang see in that girl? She's arrogant, bullheaded, and totally lacks patience. There's no way Aang would fall for her. No way in the world!) Katara thought to herself.

"Uh, Katara? Fire."

"What's that, Sokka? Do you spot spies from the Fire Nation?"

"No, I mean YOU'RE ON FIRE!" Sokka's screaming had Katara look down on herself. Her dress caught on fire from the campfire! Katara screamed and ran all over the place, causing the fire to spread!

"Don't worry, Katara. I'll save you!" Toph shouted. The tough little earth-bender stomped her feet into the earth. A huge rock ripped out of the earth and blasted right up Katara's ass, sending her flying into the sky. While she screamed and went Superman, Katara finally descended and crashed into the river.

"Uh, Toph? Don't you think that's a bit extreme?" Aang asked.

"A new lesson, Twinkle Toes. Extreme situations call for extreme measures."

"I'll keep that in mind." Aang responded.

Katara marched right out of the river. Seeing her all soaking wet, Aang, Toph, and Sokka tried hold in their laughter. Even Appa and Momo turned away and chuckled to themselves. Katara stopped marching when she ended up face-to-face with Toph. Katara pointed her finger right at Toph's face.

"… I don't like you…" Katara whispered. Katara turned away from Toph and marched on, preparing to pack up her camping gear.

"Okay, everyone. Let's follow Katara's lead. Time to move out!" Sokka announced. While everyone was packing their things, Aang was nice enough to use his air-bending to dry Katara up. While Katara thanked the Avatar, nobody was aware what lie beneath the shadows. Deep in the forest, a ninja in black sets his blood-red eyes on Aang and his friends. His hand rested comfortably on his katana.

On his shoulder was the insignia of a red fireball.

"So this is the Avatar the Fire Lord wants eliminated. Hmph, just a mere child, protected by even more children. Pathetic. We, the Dark Inferno Clan, shall honor Fire Lord Ozai by delivering the Avatar's very heart to His Majesty…"


	3. Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

Aang and the gang soared through the clear blue skies on his trusty air-bison, Appa. The warm sun greeted the gang with open arms as Aang navigated Appa to head northwest over the continent of Earth Kingdom. Supplies were starting to run low, and they all need to find the nearest city in sight.

Sokka used a piece of rock to sharpen up his trusty boomerang. The young man eyed Katara and Toph with one brow raise higher than the other, noticing how strange they've been acting lately. Katara was smiling to herself as she eyed Aang and wore the necklace he made for her a couple of months ago. He spotted Katara scooting up to the Avatar, seeing her face starting to blush when she started sharing words with him.

When he looked away from Katara, his eyes widen when he saw Toph acting in the same peculiar manner. Toph may be blind, but she can still sense Aang with her trusty nose. Toph wore a crooked grin when she took in Aang's scent and faced his direction. The earth-bending master quickly looked away from Aang who was a few feet away from her and curled into a ball, trying to hide her reddened face and her cute little smile.

(Girls are so incredibly strange.) Sokka said to himself.

"Hey, you guys! I spot a metropolis at 12 o'clock! Looks like there's something big going on down there!" Aang announced. Sokka, Katara and Momo looked ahead to see what the Avatar was talking about. Deep inside the lovely city thousands of people gather around the ring in an amazingly beautiful coliseum. The cheers from the fans roared so loud that even Aang and the gang can hear it from up in the sky.

"Awesome! It's a major fighting competition! Looks like benders and nonbenders can compete! Finally, some serious action!" Sokka exclaimed, remembering the good times he had back at the underground earth-bending tournament.

"Time to land, Appa! YIP YIP!" Aang called. Appa agreed with his longtime friend and landed into the city known as Pa Ching Ko. The air-bison landed next to the remarkable coliseum. Aang, Sokka, Katara and Toph got off Appa and approached the entrance to the arena. The guards to the entrance saw the gang and stomped their mighty spears into the earth.

"You must be here to take on the Champion! You all look worthy enough to face one of the greatest warriors of our time! Which of you shall face the Champion?"

"Uh, actually we're here to find a supply shop. We're running low on-"

"Aang's the one! This bad-boy can take down anyone, anytime!" Toph said, giving Aang a big pat on the shoulder. Aang looked at her with surprise.

"I don't know, you guys. We're here to get supplies, not to fight."

"Come on, Aang! This would be the perfect opportunity to try out your earth-bending! And don't worry about losing, Aang. You're gonna blow away the whole competition!" Toph said. Katara gently placed her hand on Aang's other shoulder.

"Toph's right. You've done very well training in water-bending as well as earth-bending, and you're a master at air-bending. You'll do just fine," Katara said gently. Toph's and Katara's encouragement helped Aang decide to go find a supply shop later and head right into the arena.

"Okay, you guys! I'm heading right in! Time to see if all that training paid off!" Aang announced. This put smiles on Toph's and Katara's faces. Very big smiles. Just when Aang was about to enter, Sokka blocked Aang's way and faced the guards.

"Now just wait one damn second! My name is Sokka and I'm the kid's manager. I don't want him to take any risks without falling onto something to support himself, if you know what I mean. What's the prize? What does my fighter get if he beats your champion?"

"Five million zennies." The guards said.

The amount had all the kids' jaws drop to the floor.

"… Five… million? OH YEAH! WE'LL LIVE LIKE KINGS! COME ON, AANG! TIME TO KICK SOME SERIOUS BUTT!" Sokka shouted. Sokka shoved Aang right through the guards and into the coliseum. Toph and Katara giggled and followed the boys. As for Momo, he had to stay with Appa. No animals allowed.

When Aang and his friends entered the arena, the entire capacity crowd of 255,000 fans got up from their seats and roared for the latest warrior to face their champion! The Avatar was awed beyond belief.

"AT LAST! A NEW CHALLENGER ENTERS THE HEAD-BANGERS ARENA! LET THE CHALLENGER ENTER THE RING TO FACE OUR GREATEST CHAMPION YET!" the ring announcer shouted. Aang and his friends approached the ring, trying to get used to having over 200,000 people shift their very attention right to them. Aang stepped through the ropes and walked right into the squared circle. All around the ring, he noticed a few things: the amphitheater for fighting was made of pure earth and it was surrounded by a moat of water. There were also large torches for each corner of the ring.

(This arena is awesome! Sokka was right: nonbenders AND benders can fight here!) Aang said to himself. While Sokka shared a few words with the announcer, Toph stepped through the ropes and approached Aang.

"Now remember your training, Aang. If you can out-bend me, you can out-bend ANYONE! Tear the champ apart!" Toph stated.

"Read ya loud and clear, Sifu Toph. Thanks," Aang said, smiling. Aang started to approach the center of the arena.

"GOOD LUCK!" Toph said. The cute earth-bender gave Aang a good spank in the butt. Aang turned around in shock.

"TOPH!" Aang shouted, covering his butt and blushing. Toph blushed and laughed nervously.

"… Sorry, Aang. That's how we wish each other good luck back at the underground earth-bending tournament." Toph stepped out of the ring, as did Sokka. As soon as Aang and the announcer were alone in the ring, a humongous warrior ripped with muscle stomped his way into the ring towered over Aang.

"TO MY LEFT IS THE CHALLENGER! HE STANDS AT 5' TALL AND WEIGHS IN AT 98 POUNDS. LET'S HEAR IT FOR TWINKLE-TOES AANG!" The capacity crowd cheered for the new challenger. Aang blushed out of embarrassment, realizing that's the name Sokka wanted the announcer to address him by.

(… Sokka, I'm gonna hurt you real bad after this is over…) Aang said to himself.

"TO MY RIGHT! THE CHAMPION! HE STANDS AT 6' 5" TALL AND WEIGHS IN AT 297 POUNDS! TODAY'S CHAMPION HAS ALREADY DEFEATED 55 OF HIS OPPONENTS! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOULDER!" The capacity crowd got up and cheered for their colossus of a champ.

"… The Boulder? No wonder you look familiar," Aang said.

"… The BOULDER? YEAH! THE BOULDER'S HERE! COME ON, BOULDER! YOU CAN DO IT! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!" Sokka screamed.

Katara and Toph stood next to Sokka and started to crack their knuckles.

"I- I mean BOOOOOO! BOULDER SUCKS! GO TWINKLE-TOES!" Sokka screamed.

Aang and The Boulder stood face-to-face, the announcer being the only thing in their way to Armageddon. Feeling Toph's influence, Aang punched his fist into his hand as he stared coldly into the eyes of the earth-bending behemoth.

"My friends and I need the money. I'm going to get the prize-money, even if it means beating the living SNOTS out of you! You're the disease, and I'm the cure," Aang said. The young Avatar smiled to himself, remembering Toph's lessons in bad-mouthing.

"The Boulder was waiting for a worthy opponent, but all he gets is a bald MIDGET! I'm gonna use you to floss out my teeth! I'm gonna cut you down like weeds in a field! YOUR ASS IS MINE, SUCKA!" The Boulder announced.

"Now, gentlemen. Let's remember the rules: there aren't any," the announcer said. As soon as the announcer left, the bell rang. Everyone roared when they watched Aang and The Boulder get into their fighting positions.

"… Time to see what I'm REALLY made of!" Aang said.


	4. The Gauntlet

"What you're gonna be made of is POWDER when The Boulder's through with you!" The Boulder smashed his left fist into the earth-made amphitheater, sending five enormous boulders up into the air and floating in front of their master. The Boulder smashed his first boulder with his fight fist, quickly transforming them from rubble into rock-made daggers. As soon as they transformed, they flew right at the Avatar. Aang leapt off the ground and spun in mid-air, avoiding the deadly stone-made projectiles.

The Avatar avoided the attack air-bending style, but as soon as he landed he assumed his earth-bending fighting position. The Boulder smashed another boulder and another with his fist and foot, transforming them into deadly flint-made shurikens, giving them twice the deadliness and twice the precision! The dozens and dozens of shurikens blasted right for the Avatar, but the young warrior stood his ground and created a huge triangle-shaped shield in front of himself, bouncing off The Boulder's attack.

Aang transformed the shield he's inside of into a battering ram. As soon as Aang started running, the battering ram he was inside of began to head right for The Boulder. The Boulder roared and crushed the battering ram with his enormous wall of stone. The Boulder lowered his wall and watched the dust settle, hoping to make his move when he sees Aang in sight.

However, Aang was nowhere to be found. At least not in front of his face. The Boulder scratched his head, trying to put the pieces of the puzzles together.

"Over here, ya big ox!" The Boulder turned a 180 and spotted Aang, with a pair of boulders meant for The Boulder to use! With a smile on his face, Aang slammed his fists into the boulders and turned them into a pair of large, tough boxing gloves. Roaring for a knockout, Aang lunged and smashed his stoned fist into his opponent's jaw. The Boulder spun around from Aang's attack, starting to see stars. The behemoth swung his right fist, but Aang's fancy footwork got him out of harm's way. Aang unleashed a merciless barrage of jabs, hooks and uppercuts to The Boulder's skull, turning his own opponent into a mere punching bag. With a good windup, Aang blasted his rock-gloved fist so hard that the rock-glove shattered on impact. The Boulder wobbled from Aang's blow and collapsed on his face. The referee stepped into the ring to check if The Boulder can continue to fight. Seeing the muscle-bound warrior out-cold, the ref shook his head and waved his hands apart.

"THE BOULDER CAN NO LONGER FIGHT! BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT, OUR NEW CHAMPION: TWINKLE-TOES AANG!" The entire capacity crowd burst with joy. Aang, the new champ, removed his remaining rock-glove and waved to the crowd. Katara, Sokka and Toph cheered for their newly-crowned champ as well.

"You did it, Aang! You're the new champion of Pa Ching Ko!" Katara shouted with glee, clapping for the Avatar.

"I always knew you had it in ya, Twinkle Toes!" Toph called out. Toph gave Sokka a light nugde in the ribs.

"Hey, Sokka. Just how did Aang drop the bonehead?"

"Aang turned a pair of boulders into these rock-gloves and beat The Boulder with his own fists! Seeing how huge those gloves were, Aang sure was pretty strong. Your training on our buddy really paid off!" Sokka said, mimicking Aang by punching the air.

Toph smiled to herself and placed her two fingers on her lips in a lady-like manner.

(… Aang's no pushover, that's for sure. So he likes to get physical, huh? I like to get physical too…) Toph's grin grew even wider and rubbed her shoulder.

Sokka entered the ring and faced the announcer.

"Okay, mister announcer! Just hand us the five million zennies my buddy rightfully deserves and we'll be on our way!" Sokka said, holding his hand out to the announcer. The announcer looked at Sokka's hand. Then he looked him straight into the eyes.

"… I'm sorry, but your friend's battle is far from over. You see, in order to be Grand Champion of Pa Ching Ko, your friend behind me must gain 100 wins in a row."

"… what?"

"I'm very sorry that we didn't inform you enough about the way this coliseum works, but that is the only way to true victory. This law of combat has been established 1100 years ago, and we dare not bend this law," the announcer explained. Sokka felt his energy for victory quickly deteriorate and walked up to Aang.

"Uh, you heard what the announcer said, right? One hundred wins in a row does sound pretty hard to achieve. I… I don't know what to say," Sokka said.

"… Oh man. I never took on 100 fighters in one day. I'm- I'm not sure if I can do it," Aang said, nervously rubbing the back of his head. This sounded even harder than destroying at least a dozen ships during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. Katara and Toph entered the ring to join Aang and Sokka.

"It's okay, Aang. You don't really have to do this if you don't want to. At least you've proven that your earth-bending skills are at the top of its game. Why don't we just find the nearest supply shop and-"

"What the HELL are you talking about, Katara? Aang's got the guts and the bending powers to annihilate ANYONE that gets in his way! You can do it, Aang!" Toph said. Aang was taken aback by Toph's tremendous amount of support. Toph faced the entire capacity crowd. She had no problem facing the fans out there even when she was blind.

I mean there's hundreds of thousands of people out there. How can Toph actually face the wrong direction and end up talking to a row of empty seats?

"COME ON, EVERYBODY! LET'S CHEER FOR YOUR GREATEST CHAMPION YET! AANG! AANG! AANG!" The entire capacity crowd started chanting Toph's cheer, stomping feet along with chanting Aang's name.

"Maybe Toph is right! Go for it, Aang!" Katara cheered.

"OH YEAH! I SMELL A HEALTHY DOSE OF WHOOPASS ON THE WAY!" Sokka shouted. Sokka, Katara and Toph proceeded to leave the ring for the Avatar's next opponent. Aang stopped Toph by lightly clutching onto her wrist.

"Wait a second, Toph. Thanks for supporting me earlier."

"No problem, Twinkle Toes. Just don't make a fool out of me, okay?"

"Of course not. I won't let you or anyone down! Um, how come you don't want the fans to call me Twinkle Toes?"

"… Only I can call you by that name. Good luck, champ." Toph stood on her tippy-toes and gave Aang a light kiss on the cheek. After a quick smooch, Toph quickly left the 50 square-foot ring. Aang looked dumbfounded and rubbed his cheek.

Katara eyed Toph with a frown.

"What was that for, Toph?"

"Just wanted to wish him luck, that's all."

"You already wished him good luck earlier, remember?"

"What can I say? The more, the merrier."

"Look, Toph. Aang's already got enough support. So why don't you-"

"Okay, girls. Let's calm down, okay? Aang's about to fight!" Sokka interrupted.

"HERE COMES THE NEXT CHALLENGER!" Aang whipped to a 180 spin to face his next opponent. The agile warrior leaped into the amphitheater with incredible agility and whipped out his deadly spear. The kung fu martial artist demonstrated his spear techniques with amazing grace. The young man whipped his long ponytail over his shoulder and pointed his spear right at him.

"The name is Ima. Ima Goner! I am master of the bloody spear and I will become new champion by ending your very life!" Ima announced. Aang drew a huge amount of water out of the enormous moat and flowed the water to his very hand. With one punch towards Ima, who was many yards away, the water by Aang's side rushed right at him. Suddenly, the water transformed into a 250-pound ice fist! The ice fist crashed into the spearman's skull and knocked him out of the ring and out of consciousness.

"AANG DID IT AGAIN! THAT'S VICTORY NUMBER TWO!" the announcer blasted. Aang's friends leapt into the air and cheered for their friend.

For over three hours, Aang had to bring down another opponent, and another, and another. His opponents ranged from knife-wielding maniacs to masters of bending. Aang was already feeling his strength taking a toll on him after barely defeating his fiftieth opponent, which was a master water-bender.

Aang collapsed into his corner, sitting into his wooden chair and catching his breath. Sokka fanned Aang with a towel while Katara massaged his shoulders and neck. Toph stepped through the ropes and gave him a sack of water. Aang thanked her and drank it, but he didn't drink too much for that would put him at a disadvantage.

"Okay, Aang. Fifty down, fifty more to go. You can do it, Aang! These guys are nothing but small nails. YOU are the hammer! Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it, Toph! I got it!" Aang said, taking in heavy breaths.

"Awright, Twinkle-Toes! NO MERCY FOR THE WEAK!"

"Aang, are you sure you can continue?" Katara asked, giving him a look of concern.

"Sure, Katara. I'm just a bit winded, that's all. I'll be fine."

"Okay, kids. Break's over. LET THE FIFTY-FIRST OPPONENT COME ON DOWN!"

From there, it wasn't a struggle for the prize-money anymore. It was also a struggle for dear life. Aang's next opponents were quicker, more experienced and far meaner than the last fifty he knocked out. Many of them didn't just fight for the title; they fought solely for the sake of spilling Aang's blood. The Avatar's defenses could only do so much. Aang's left eye winced in pain from his 70th opponent, and he got hit real hard in the jaw from challenger number 88, who was a boxer.

In the middle of facing his 99th opponent, Aang felt blood coming out of his nose and the edge of his mouth. His left eye couldn't open as easily as his right and he felt pain aching on the left side of his ribs. The latest opponent, turning out to be a samurai, showed no concern of whatsoever. The samurai ran right for Aang and swung his mighty blade at him. Aang dodged his attack with amazing agility, but the blade cut right into Aang's shoulder. The Avatar crashed into the ground and rolled onto his back like a lifeless doll.

"AANG!" Sokka and Katara screamed.

"What happened? What's going on?" Toph asked, cursing her blindness.

"Aang's hurt real bad. That sword seemed to have cut into his shoulder really deep! Oh my gosh, he's still bleeding!" Sokka said.

Toph took a step back and covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes widen in shock from Sokka's latest news. Then she did something she though she'd never do.

She trembled.

(Aang… Oh no…)

While still on the ground, Aang unleashed a major air-bending whip, whipping the challenger right in the skull and knocking off his helmet. The samurai fell to the ground, out-cold.

"AANG WINS AGAIN! THAT MAKES IT HIS 99TH VICTORY! ONLY ONE MORE TO GO! IF HE WINS, HE GETS THE FIVE MILLION ZENNIES AND WILL BE CROWNED GRAND CHAMPION OF PA CHING KO!" After the announcer finished his speech, Aang slowly staggered to his feet. As he tried to stand upright, he winced in pain and fell to one knee. Katara and Sokka quickly helped Aang up and carefully brought him to his corner. Sokka gave him some water to drink while Katara did all she could using her healing powers on Aang. The bruises were slowly getting healed by Katara, but the deep cut in Aang's shoulder took quite awhile longer to close up.

"Aang, listen to me. We have to stop this right now. There might be a chance of you getting killed out there! We have to-"

"No."

"Come on, Aang. Don't be so stubborn. Katara's right. Let's call this off and-"

"NO! I'm no quitter. Just one more match. One more, and it'll be all over. Have faith in me, will ya?" Hearing Aang's optimistic voice, Sokka and Katara decided to let Aang continue the long trail to true victory. Katara saw Toph outside the ring and gave her a dark look, feeling that it was Toph's influence that got Aang into this situation.

Since Toph's back was to her, Katara didn't see a tear stream down Toph's face.

(… Aang's hurt. I put him in the ring. It's all my fault…)

Aang got to his feet, prepared to face his final opponent. Thanks to Katara, all his wounds are healed. However, she was unable to do anything about what's left of his energy to fight.

"BRING ON MY NEXT OPPONENT!" Aang shouted with a mixture of sheer optimism and battle-lust. Remembering Katara's healing abilities and hearing Aang's recovery from his wounds, Toph smiled and wiped her tears away.

(Aang's okay. Thank GOODNESS!) Toph said to herself, facing the ring once again.

"HERE COMES THE FINAL CHALLENGER!" Challenger number 100 stepped through the ropes and faced the Avatar. The Avatar felt chills run to the bone, and his skin started to pale. Aang began to back away.

"… No. YOU'RE my opponent? It CAN'T be you!"

"We meet again, Aang. It's been a long time..."


	5. Aang's Final Opponent

"Gyatso. It can't be..."

"It's been over 100 years since we've last seen each other. A hundred years since you ran away and let us all die…"

Aang's heart froze with fright and guilt from Gyatso's very words. Aang began to tremble, remembering the very night he and Appa ran away from their Air Temple and ended up frozen deep within the ocean. He frightfully looked into the eyes of Gyatso, who once was his mentor and friend a century ago. However, Aang didn't look into those gentle eyes he once remembered Gyatso to have. Instead, he looked into the eyes of pure hatred and rage.

Katara and Sokka were completely lost of words. When Aang mentioned his very name, neither of them could put the puzzle together.

"Katara? Did Aang actually say that's Gyatso? I mean, he's supposed to be dead. I saw his corpse back at the Southern Air Temple!"

"I can't figure it out either, Sokka. I'm just as confused as you are."

Toph remained silent, awaiting the start of the final match, awaiting Aang's victory.

Gyatso started to walk towards his pupil.

"The day we needed you the most, the Fire Nation stormed the Southern Air Temple and killed everyone in sight. How does it feel to have blood on your hands, Aang? How does it feel to flee like a coward?"

Feeling his throat running dry, Aang took a few steps back from his final opponent. The old air-bender stood face-to-face with his student. Aang looked away from Gyatso's eyes and felt a tear stream down his eye.

"If I knew that the Fire Nation would invade the temple, I would have stayed. I would have stayed and fight. It's just that there was so much pressure to face, me being the Avatar and facing the responsibility of protecting the world. You have to understa-"

Gyatso back-fisted Aang. The Avatar hit the surface really hard on the side of his body. Aang felt a combination of pain and guilt as he looked up at his opponent towering over him. Gyatso grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

"The only thing I understand is that I have raised a weakling, a miserable weakling who does not deserve to be the Avatar!" Gyatso threw Aang into a corner of the ring. When he saw Aang hit the corner really hard, Gyatso unleashed an air-whip of his own at the young champ. The whip hit Aang right in the chest, ripping right through the skin and tasting blood. Aang cried in pain and clutched onto his wound, feeling blood soaking on his hand.

(That was his air-whip? I didn't see it coming! That attack was good, too good. Not even the greatest air-bender can make air cut THAT sharp!) Aang's thoughts were interrupted by a whistling sound. Seeing Gyatso's hands in motion again told Aang to hightail out of that corner immediately. Aang leapt right out of harm's way, 1/5 of a second before the corner was sliced into pieces. Gyatso unleashed his invisible air-whips right at Aang, every whip summoned by a finger. Wherever Aang stood, destruction followed. The amphitheater was literally getting shredded up, and Aang was running out of steam from all the evasive maneuvering.

"Aang! Don't just stand there! Bring him down, even if he really is Gyatso!" Sokka shouted.

"He's trying to KILL you, Aang! You have to stop him before it's too late!" Katara shouted.

"…Gyatso's right. I am a coward. It's all my fault all the air nomads are dead…"

A crack of another air-whip attack smacked into Aang's face really hard and sent him skidding down the arena floor. Aang slowly huffed for breath while looking upon his former mentor who now wanted the Avatar's head on a platter. Two things puzzled him. One: Gyatso was a very loving and caring monk. He remembered getting into some trouble back at the Southern Air Temple, yet Gyatso would always wear that smile and make Aang forget about all his troubles and have fun. Gyatso would never harm any of his students, especially Aang. And Two: Aang was suppose to sense attacks from another air-bender, yet Aang couldn't sense anything that relates to air-bending at all!

Yet Gyatso was very real to the Avatar. His face, his body-structure, his clothes: every physical aspect of Gyatso was exactly how Aang remembered him a hundred years ago. The only thing that didn't seem right were Gyatso's eyes. Just for a fraction of a second, Gyatso's eyes flashed blood red.

Gyatso spread his arms wide out, preparing to deliver the final blow on the Avatar. Aang stood is ground and didn't bother to prepare to go on the defensive. In a way Aang felt that Gyatso's crushing blow would help Aang repent for abandoning all the air nomads during the time of need. Aang lowered his head and awaited the final blow.

"I shall enjoy watching you die, Avatar Aang…"

"THAT'S NOT GYATSO! HE'S AN IMPOSTER!" Aang's eyes widen in shock from Toph's words. A nanosecond later Aang leapt away from Gyatso's attack and landed on top of one of the ring-corners with his air-bending agility. Aang turned his head to his blind friend.

"You have to believe me, Aang. I may not know your history, but I do know that he's not the man he claims to be. He's NO air-bender! Did you hear the whistling sound every time that guy attacks you? It's not made from air-bending. They're really thin CABLE-LINES! You've been bamboozled, Aang!" Toph said. The sun slowly cracked through the thick clouds and shined upon the arena. When Aang took a good look at Gyatso, he noticed a shine of string-shaped metal coming from Gyatso's hands.

(Toph was right…)

Aang landed lightly on the arena floor and faced the imposter, eyes of daggers upon his opponent. The warrior claiming to be Gyatso whipped his so-called air-whips at Aang again, but Aang blocked his attack by creating a rock-dome all around him. Aang immediately caused his dome to explode into dozens of pieces. The imposter felt Aang's fury when some of the enormous rocks from Aang's dome hit him in the body and in the head, landing him head-first into the ground.

"You dare to wear my friend's face and use it to bring down my spirit? YOU'VE DECEIVED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!" Aang raised his fists and screamed for blood. The torches in each corner of the ring felt Aang's fury and burst into a raging inferno, fire climbing so high that the entire capacity crowd were awed by such a spectacle. Remembering how he seriously burned Katara, Aang made all the fire die away along with his rage. Eyes on the imposter, Aang snarled and clamped his hands together. At the same time a pair of enormous air-bended hands appeared on each side of the Gyatso imposter and collided together, crushing his very body! The imposter barely had time to scream before collapsing into the ground like a doll that got his strings cut.

"AANG IS THE WINNER! I GIVE YOU THE GRAND CHAMPION OF PA CHING KO!" the announcer shouted. All the fans got up from their seats and cheered for the Avatar. However, Aang didn't give a damn about the title or the prize. Aang grabbed the horribly disfigured Gyatso by the collar and looked him straight into his eyes.

"Who are you? Who sent you to kill me? I WANT ANSWERS!" Aang shouted. Gyatso's body started to slowly melt away. Behind the melted face of Gyatso was a man shrouded in darkness. A shinobi, warrior of the night. Aang thought that ninjas were only from fairy tales to frighten children, but he was facing one right at that very moment. Aang noticed a symbol on the ninja's shoulder: a red fireball. The ninja weakly looked into Aang's eyes and cackled a laugh.

"This is far from over, Avatar. Far from over…"

A pair of shadows hopped down the aisles of seats and headed right for the ring. The shadows moved so fast that almost nobody noticed they passed by at all. The shadows leapt into the arena and in a blink of an eye took the crippled ninja away from Aang. Moments later, all three of them disappeared into the darkness.

Aang, the Grand Champion of Pa Ching Ko, stood alone in the ring, with questions unanswered.

"AANG, YOU DID IT! YOU'RE THE GRAND-DADDY OF PA CHING KO!" As soon as Aang heard Toph's voice, Toph jumped into the air and gave Aang a big hug. Aang smiled and hugged her back, trying to fight off the pain he received. Toph's smile disappeared when she realized her shirt was getting drenched by Aang's blood from his chest.

"You're bleeding, Aang!"

"Don't worry, Toph. I've received worse. In time, Katara will-"

"No way, Aang! Let _me_ deal with that wound." Toph removed her hair-band, letting her long hair flow with the wind. In a flash, Toph whipped Aang's shirt right off, making Aang feel embarrassed to expose his body to the public. Toph carefully wrapped her band around Aang's body, nicely bandaging up the wound on Aang's chest.

Dozens of people started whistling and wooing at their new grand champion and how his friend is handling his wound. Then the whistling grew by the hundreds.

"You are one badass wrecking machine, Twinkle Toes. I'm so proud of you…" Smiling to herself, Toph hugged her champion again, only this time her hug was gentle and quite longer. The woos and whistles then grew by the thousands seeing how Toph rested her head on Aang's chest and twirled her toes into the arena floor.

Sokka laughed to himself.

"Damn. Aang wins the prize AND gets the girl! Don't you think those two look cute together, Katara?" Katara didn't answer his question. Katara felt so tempted to use the moat around the ring to shoot icicles at Toph, but that would upset Aang and she didn't want that to happen. So turned her eyes away from the embracing kids and clenched her fist.

(Aang would never fall for that tomboy. He… he wouldn't…)

The Head-Bangers Arena ended the incredible event by offering Aang the Championship Belt and the five million zennies as promised. Aang gladly wrapped the belt around his own waist while Sokka very gladly took the prize money. Eventually, the Aang-gang bought more supplies, got on Appa and flew out of the magnificent city.

While Aang was steering Appa, Sokka checked the map. When he spotted a familiar landmark down below, he noticed that the same landmark was nearby a very special place he and Katara were dying to go to ever since they were toddlers.

"KATARA! You're not going to believe where we're about to head towards."

"What are you talking about, Sokka?"

"We're getting really close to EASTER BUNNY LAND!"

Katara's eyes glistened like stars.

"… Easter Bunny Land? THE GREATEST AMUSEMENT PARK TO EVER EXIST? This is so INCREDIBLE! With the five million zennies, we can have fun there all week!" Sokka and Katara gave each other a big hug, feeling as though it's better than the downfall of Fire Lord Ozai.

"LET'S GO EASTER BUNNY LAND! We can finally see the EASTER BUNNY!" Sokka shouted to Aang. However, Aang didn't make any reaction at all to Sokka's latest news. The Southern Water Tribe siblings also noticed that Toph was quiet as well.

"Easter Bunny Land, huh? That's one place I never want to go to ever again."

"Why not, Aang? What's wrong?"

"It's like this, Katara. When I was six years old, my friend Gyatso took me and all the other boys to Easter Bunny Land. We were going to meet our coolest icon: the Easter Bunny. I remember sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap when I told him what I wanted for Easter. But just before I was about to leave Easter Bunny Land, I found out the hard way that the Easter Bunny wasn't real. He was just some guy in a costume. It took me months to recover from the horrifying truth."

Sokka and Katara covered their mouths in shock.

"… This can't be true. We've never been there before. The Easter Bunny's REAL!"

"Sokka's right. I mean, where else did we get all those delicious easter eggs? How can you doubt the power of the Easter Bunny?"

"Oh, grow some brain cells you MORONS! Aang's right. The Easter Bunny doesn't exist. My family took me there when I was just five. My dreams were shattered when I found out that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist at all. I felt scarred for life…"

Aang felt Toph's pain, feeling how it was to realize that your own hero was just make-believe. Aang's heart grew from anguish to anger. Aang turned his attention from the siblings to Toph.

"Toph. There's only one way we can be free from the pain."

"How are we going to do that, Aang?"

"We're going to destroy Easter Bunny Land."

Toph's eyes widen from Aang's choice of action, admiring him for his sense of facing things head-on. Sokka and Katara eyed Aang in shock, seeing a side of Aang they've never seen before.

"How are we going to do that, Aang?" Toph asked.

"Thousands of kids go to Easter Bunny Land to see that phony. I say we go there and expose the Easter Bunny for what he really is: a loser in a costume! Easter Bunny Land won't be fooling any more children."

"I like the idea, Aang. Count me in!"

"… The Easter Bunny's not real?" Katara and Sokka asked simultaneously. Aang immediately steered Appa 30 degrees to the right. Next stop: Easter Bunny Land. When Aang drew out his air-bending staff, a large blade popped right out of its tip.

"Easter Bunny? You're gonna die…" Aang hissed.


	6. THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY!

In an unknown location, two ninjas carried their crippled comrade shoulder-by-shoulder down a dark tunnel, lit only by a small handful of torches. The crippled ninja, who lost horribly to the Avatar back at Pa Ching Ko, let his feet drag into the dirt while his comrades continued to carry him to their master and lord. Neither of his comrades cared to ask if he was all right or even tried to comfort him from the bone-crunching pain all around his body.

The three ninjas finally made it to the dark throne room, which appeared to be underground. Sitting on that throne was a ninja who appeared to be in very good shape, even in better shape than his younger disciples. His ice-cool composure was the opposite of his natural element, but his followers know too well that fire truly burns within him. Crossing his legs, the ninja master eyed the two ninjas and pointed his finger to the ground. Obeying his command, they dropped the badly wounded ninja right on the dirt, letting him bury his face into the soil. Some of the ninjas laughed when they saw him hit the dirt. Many others looked down and shook their heads, knowing of his fate.

"Chameleon. Do you have any idea why I decided to bring you here?" Feeling every inch of movement to be sheer pain, the downed ninja slowly looked up to his lord.

"… You saved me, master. You brought me here to give me another chance to fight the Avatar. I'd be honored to face him once again." The ninja lord looked straight into the eyes of Chameleon, remembering the information on how the Avatar squashed him like a mere bug. The ninja lord clenched his fist and made his knuckles crack.

"Your defeat has humiliated the Dark Inferno Clan. We are known to be the most ruthless ninja cult throughout all of Fire Nation. Your loss to the Avatar has made us lose face to Fire Lord Ozai. Such actions are INTOLERABLE!"

The ninja lord's rage was so great that all the torches in the dark throne room burned with fury. Many of the ninjas were awed by the ninja lord's elemental might.

"… Please, Lord Blackburn. Give me another chance. Just let the healers repair my body so I can-"

"SILENCE! I had your brothers bring you here so I can deal with you accordingly. You know of the punishment for those who fail me." Chameleon's eyes widen in fright. Blackburn got up from his seat and pointed his finger right at Chameleon's face, right between the eyes. If the Avatar didn't crush Chameleon's spine back at the Head-Bangers Arena, he would have high tailed out of there. He didn't even have enough strength to drag himself away from the wrath of his master with his arms. The tips of Black-burn's fingers began to glow blue as Blackburn eyed his target 15 feet away.

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME, MASTER! Just give me another chance! I promi-"

Blackburn unleashed a lightning bolt of a vicious magnitude. After one terrifying scream, Chameleon was reduced to ashes. When Blackburn sat back on his throne, looking like it's just one of those days, one of the ninja warriors took out a broom and swept away what's left of Chameleon. A moment later, a female ninja appeared out of the shadows and knelt to her ninja lord, Blackburn.

"Lord Blackburn. We received news that the Avatar his heading east towards the Lake of Oma. He has made a stop for reasons unknown."

"Excellent, Nightingale. You've served the clan well. I have one important order for you, Nightingale."

"What might that be, m'lord?"

"Summon the Fire Bats. On land or in the sky, the Avatar will not be safe…"

888

The Aang gang landed Appa right in front of the entrance to the greatest amusement park in the entire Earth Kingdom: Easter Bunny Land! The amusement park was so enormous that from far away people tend to mistake it for a city. The top designers of the heart-stopping rides were students of one of the greatest geniuses in the entire world: King Bumi! Thanks to Bumi's visions for the future, Easter Bunny Land has attracted millions of people from around the world, fulfilling their dreams and bringing happiness to their very hearts. Easter Bunny Land was over 500 years old, but thanks to Bumi's genius, the amusement park has reached true perfection.

Aang was in no mood for false dreams. Neither was Toph.

"This place is INCREDIBLE! Thrill-rides, restaurants, theaters, it has it all!" Sokka exclaimed, refusing to take his eyes away from his surroundings. The moment they stepped foot into the amusement park, Sokka and Katara felt like little kids again.

"Hey, Sokka! There's the Point of No Return! I heard that's the creepiest funhouse in the Earth Kingdom. Let's head right in!"

"I don't know, Katara. I say we should get on the Hurler 5000! Every single person who rode on that monster ride hurled 'til they dropped! I'm gonna be the first who won't blow chunks!"

"What about you, Aang? Where would you like to-"

Katara bit her tongue when she saw Aang and Toph looked down to the ground with solemn faces. The sadness in Aang's eyes cut Katara's heart real deep. The water-bender gently placed her hand on Aang's shoulder, awakening Aang from his grim memory with the Easter Bunny.

"Are you okay, Aang?"

"… Yeah. It's going to be hard to face him, know what I mean? I believed in him so much when I read stories about him and learned of all the good he brought to this world. Legend had it that he was the one who taught first Avatar all the ways of bending, the very first creature to bend all four elements. Seeing him as nothing more than an actor really hurts. It's all a lie..."

"… Aang…"

The ground started to rumble. The sudden trembling of the earth bewildered Aang, Katara and Sokka. However, Toph clearly knew what's causing all the trembling, and she can hear their faraway voices clearly.

"STAMPEDE OF WILD CHILDREN! OUT OF THE WAY, EVERYBODY!" Toph shouted. All four of teens and preteens jumped out of harm's way. Suddenly, hundreds of screaming children stampeded right by Aang and his friends, smiles and cheers as warm as the sun.

"THE EASTER BUNNY'S HERE! YAAAAAAAY!" the children screamed with joy. Five minutes later, the stampede was gone. A moment, a stampede of parents ran right after the children, trying their best to keep up with them.

"Whoa. That Easter Bunny is one helluva celebrity. Let's follow those kids and see what all the excitement is all about!" Sokka suggested. Aang's eyes formed into slits as he started cracking his knuckles. Toph growled and clenched her fist, feeling just as eager to meet the Easter Bunny as Aang.

"Good idea, Sokka. Let's go…" Aang said quietly.

888

"Okay, everybody. One child at a time. Be sure to be sincere when you get to tell the Easter Bunny what you want for Easter!" All the little happy children bowed their heads to the kind lady and tried to keep down their sense of excitement, knowing it'll only be moments when they get to meet one of the greatest heroes in the world.

Sitting on a nice comfortable chair, the Easter Bunny had yet another child sit on his lap and tell him what he wanted for Easter. Many of the children wanted material things, from wooden dolls to puppies. Other children showed their pure hearts to the Easter Bunny when they asked him for things like getting their parents together again or ending the 100-Year War.

"Thank you, Easter Bunny! We love you!" The 10-year-old girl and her little brother waved goodbye to the Easter Bunny and ran off with their parents, eager to get on yet another ride. The Easter Bunny ran his hand through his brown floppy ears, touched by the hundreds of children that wanted to meet him and told him what their hearts desired. Hundreds more were still in line, talking about what they want for Easter.

A muffle of voices caught the attention of the Easter Bunny. The voices were getting louder, and they don't sound like they're in a happy mood. His skin underneath the bunny suit started running cold when he saw a group of earth-bending security guards intervene and try to bring order. A moment later, the guards were knocked right off their feet and hit the ground like lifeless toys.

The Easter Bunny finally saw who was causing such a ruckus. Shoving their way through more personnel were Aang and Toph, eyes of death on the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny felt sweat pour down his forehead underneath his bunny suit and tried to wave to the pre-teens.

"Uh… hello children. You seem to be in a hurry to see me. What would you like for Easter?" the Easter Bunny asked.

"Ah, shut your pie-hole! We're not here to ask what we want for Easter. Not anymore!" Toph announced.

"Fraud. Fake. Charlatan. PHONY! You fooled my air-bending brothers and I when I was little! You're not gonna fool any more children!" Aang and Toph turned their attention to the hundreds of bewildered children in line.

"Okay, everyone! LISTEN UP! That guy is not the Easter Bunny. He's just some loser who's desperate for money! Don't be fooled by this faker!" Toph said.

"Your parents read you stories about the Easter Bunny, telling you all about how it was the Easter Bunny that taught a young man how to bend all four elements, influencing the creation of the first Avatar. Let me tell you this: all those stories about the Easter Bunny are nothing but a load of BULL----!" Aang screamed. The children and the parents looked to one another, trying to find answers as to why those two teens are so damn pissed off.

"Uh, guys? What are you two trying to say?" a 9-year-old girl asked nicely.

"**_THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY!"_** Aang and Toph screamed to the top of their lungs, hoping the entire amusement park heard every word. Sokka and Katara got through the crowd of children and saw Aang and Toph slowly turn their eyes of death back to the Easter Bunny.

"Come on, you two. Don't do this. Not in front of the children!" Katara pleaded.

"Think about it, you guys. You two are about to scar these kids for life!" Sokka said.

"You're wrong, Sokka. We're SAVING these kids from that faker on his nice comfy chair. The truth must be revealed, even if it hurts!" Aang said. Aang and Toph got into their fighting positions. The Easter Bunny quickly got up from his chair and trembled.

"Toph. How are we gonna bring him down? The Trembler? The Avalanche?"

"Naw. Let just BEAT THE LIVING S--- OUT OF HIM!" Toph shouted. The Easter Bunny started backing away.

"Now children. Just calm down and think about what you're doing. Let's have a nice lunch together and have some _AAAAAAAAA-_"

Aang and Toph tackled the bunny, destroying his chair from the tackle. Aang grabbed the Easter Bunny in a headlock and drove his fist into its big nose while Toph soccer-kicked him in the stomach and the ribs. Growling with rage Aang sunk his teeth into the Easter Bunny's ear and ripped it right off.

Many of the children started to cry and clutch onto their mommies and daddies, watching two teenagers beat the stuffing out of the guy in a bunny costume.

"Mommy! Make them stop!"

"They're killing the Easter Bunny, daddy!"

"Stop hurting the Easter Bunny, you MEANIES!"

"Can I kick the Easter Bunny, momma?"

"Daddy? Is Transformers out in theaters yet?"

Aang and Toph got off the Easter Bunny to catch a breather. Well, at least that's what the Easter Bunny thought as he slowly got up and felt wobbly on his legs. Suddenly, a very chilling feeling crept all over him. He spotted Aang and Toph on opposite sides of himself, and they were armed with steel chairs! With wicked grins on their faces, Aang and Toph raised their chairs over their shoulders like baseball bats.

"One… Two…." Aang started.

"THREE!" Toph finished.

"… Uncle…" The Easter Bunny squeaked. Aang and Toph slammed their folded steel chairs right into the Easter Bunny's skull. The Bunny fell onto his knees and fell flat on his face. Many of the children screamed in horror. Some of them, however, screamed with excitement.

"YEAH! You got your ass whooped, Easter Bunny! The Avatar RULES!"

"Give him the Chokeslam, you guys!"

"No! Tombstone Piledriver!"

"No, not that! GET THE TABLE!"

Seeing the Easter Bunny not moving a muscle, the Avatar kicked the Bunny over to have him lay on his back and stood over his head. Aang reached down and yanked the Easter Bunny's head right off! The majority of children screamed in horror and cried Niagara Falls. Some of them even ran away from such a horrific act.

Even Katara cried her heart out as she clung onto Sokka.

Aang held the Easter Bunny's head over himself, presenting is head to all the children.

"You see, everybody? The Easter Bunny is just make-believe! Now if I were all of you I'd leave this place and-"

"Aang?"

"Not now, Toph. Now, as I was saying-"

"Aang? There's something important I need to ask you." Aang shifted his eyes to Toph.

"What is it, Toph?" Aang asked, raising a brow.

"… Why does this guy's face feel like it's been badly scarred?"

Toph's question made Aang's blood run ice-cold. Letting his jaw hang, Aang slowly lowered the Easter Bunny's helmet.

"… A scar? You mean… like it was… burned?"

"Yeah, that's now it feels. For some odd reason, he seems quite familiar. I just can't put my finger on it." Aang dropped the helmet and slowly looked down to the man's face. The young man had short dark-brown hair and he appeared to be in his teens.

In his bunny suit, the young man eyed Aang with very evil intent.

"Toph? I think it's time to go now. We got the job done."

"No way, Aang. Let's at least put him on a table, climb to the tallest building and-"

"WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" Aang grabbed Toph by the arm and ran away with her. The unmasked Easter Bunny slowly got up and eyed Aang and Toph, feeling the fire within him beginning to erupt. With one scream for blood, the Easter Bunny literally exploded into a raging inferno. All the children and parents, even Sokka and Katara, ran away from the explosion. Eventually the fire died down. Standing in the center of fire wasn't the Easter Bunny anymore. Now it was an exiled prince from Fire Nation that wore only his underwear. His rage was so incredible that he not only burned away the Easter Bunny costume but almost all his clothes as well. Zuko's eyes burned with fury as he started stomping his way to the Avatar.

"Uncle had me work here to learn the value of human life. I was learning all right. Heck, I was even thinking about no longer pursuing you. But you had to ruin it all by coming here and HITTING ME WITH A CHAIR! I'm not going to destroy you for the sake of regaining my honor. This time, IT'S PERSONAL! I'M GONNA SHOVE MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS AND BURN YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT, AVATAR!"


	7. Mayhem In Easter Bunny Land

Aang held onto Toph's hand as he and the earth-bender continued to hightail away from their pursuer, Zuko. The prince formerly known as the Easter Bunny started to pick up the pace, gaining on the young teens. Aang and Toph tried to lose him by zigzagging through the people in the park, but that didn't slow Zuko down one bit.

"Get over here, Avatar! I'm gonna hurt you so bad that even your _bruises_ will have bruises!" Zuko shouted. Hearing Zuko's voice made their skin run cold and had them run even faster.

"Holy damn! That guy really has it in for you! His voice sounds so familiar. Have you guys met before?" Toph asked.

"Yeah. His name is Prince Zuko, a major fire-bender. I've been in more duels with that guy than anybody else. He feels that if he brings me to the Fire Nation as his prisoner, he'll regain his honor."

"It looks more like he wants you dead."

"I know. Don't worry, Toph. As long as there are a lot of people here, he wouldn't dare use his fire-bending on us. We'll be just fine."

A huge stream of fire passed right by Aang's shoulder, incinerating a tree and reduced it to ashes. Aang felt his stomach fall as if it went down a bottomless pit. Despite watching the fiery wrath of Zuko in full effect, Aang still let his leg-muscles burn while holding onto Toph's hand.

"… Okay, scratch that idea. We're barbeque."

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YA ARROW-INFESTED BALDIE!"

Hearing Zuko closing in on them and intensifying his fire-bending attacks had Aang and Toph shriek and went from burning rubber to warp speed!

* * *

"I can't believe it! Of all the people, Zuko played the role of the Easter Bunny! What the ---- was going through Zuko's head?" Sokka asked.

"We can't think about that right now. We have to find Aang and Toph. If Zuko gets his hands on them, Aang's going to be in a big-load of trouble!" Katara said, imagining Zuko giving Aang a major wedgie while letting Aang hang helplessly in the air and flailing his arms.

Katara and Sokka fought through the terrified crowd that lay witness to the "explosion" of the Easter Bunny and looked around frantically, hoping to see the slightest recognition of their missing companions. The two Eskimos looked on and on, but there was no air-bender or earth-bender in sight.

However, they spotted five earth-bending security guards, but none of them had smiles on their faces. One of them placed their hand on Katara's shoulder.

"You're friends with the two young teens that attacked the Easter Bunny. Ma'am, you two are to come with us for questioning."

"Please, sir. Those two were really having a bad day and they needed to vent their rage on someone. The Easter Bunny was the best choice, since that bunny-suit is so incredibly tough. Why not just let it go and let us be on our way?" Katara asked.

"Why not just come with us for questioning? For all we know, you two were responsible for their erratic behavior."

Sokka slapped the guard's hand away from Katara's shoulder.

"Get your filthy hands off her, ya PERVERT!" Sokka blasted. The head security guard gasped from such an accusation.

"I- I am no pervert! Look, I'm sorry for the way I was acting towards your girlfriend. So why don't we-"

"WHAT? You think she's my girlfriend? Oh… my… GOSH! SHE'S MY SISTER, YA IDIOT!"

"… Well, you two do look pretty compatible. If your friends didn't attack the Easter Bunny, we would have escorted you two to the temple to have you happily married and-"

"Katara, let's get the hell OUT OF HERE! Those guys are starting to creep me out!" Sokka grabbed Katara by the hand and ran away from the guards. The earth-bending security guardsmen ran right after them, feeling they might cause more trouble.

* * *

As Aang and Toph continued to keep their distance from their pursuer, Zuko, Aang realized that wherever they ran devastation followed. Zuko's warpath laid waste to numerous building and amusement centers, fire still raging out of control.

Aang had Toph and himself stop at their tracks. The air-bender faced the fire prince.

"No more, Zuko. No more running! You've caused destruction all around the place just to get to me. You wanna burn something? Come and burn ME!" Toph smiled to Aang's sense of courage, feeling that he was facing a force that could be even fiercer than her. The earth-bending master blushed as she thought how far Aang's courage could take him with Toph.

Zuko felt unmoved by Aang's courageous act of standing his ground. Letting his inner soul calm down, Zuko closed his eyes and gently raised his hands out into the air. Seconds later, all the fire that was burning up much of the amusement park's section flowed away from all the wood and stone and flowed right back into Zuko's body! Within ten seconds, the southeastern section of Easter Bunny Land was no longer burning from Zuko's wrath, almost looking as though the fire never spread in the first place.

Zuko opened his eyes again, fire literally burning with rage and aiming right at the Avatar. Zuko assumed his fighting position.

"… This is a new technique that my Uncle taught me. Burning Soul. I summon all the fire I unleashed back into my body and let it fill my soul with incredible energy, burning my soul with life and giving me the urge to unleash my FURY!

"Now it's time to die, Avatar! You and your pal over there, whoever he is."

"…I am not a boy. I'm a GIRL!" Toph shouted. Feeling insulted, Toph ripped three huge pieces of earth and knocked them right at Zuko. The fire-bending prince unleashed his fire and burned away Toph's attack. With one wave from his hand, Zuko created a fire-wave and had it flying towards Toph. The earth-bender could feel the lethal heat building up right at her face, but she didn't have enough time to dodge it!

A massive air-blast puffed away the fire-wave. Aang landed next to Toph and aimed his air-bending staff right at his opponent.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Aang attacked Zuko head-on with a barrage of air-whips from his staff. Zuko was surprised that Aang would go on the offensive in such a ferocious manner, knowing that wouldn't be a characteristic of an air-bender. Despite his surprise, Zuko dodged Aang's attacks with his footwork.

(Attacking me head-on, huh? He must have found himself an earth-bending master. But who? Could it be that little twerp?) Zuko asked himself. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by an air-spear attack that nearly grazed his right cheek. Zuko responded with a fire-punch to Aang's skull, which Aang dodged with grace. From that moment, Aang and Zuko were locked in a beautiful but deadly elemental dance, fire versus air. Neither of them remained still as they dodged each other's attack and counterattack.

Dozens and dozens of people started gathering around the duel between the exiled prince and the Avatar, feeling it was a spectacle well planned out by the staff and crew of Easter Bunny Land. Many of the boys were amazed by how incredible Aang and Zuko were in the art of bending. All the girls, however, only focused on the nearly naked fire prince.

As the teenage girls talk about Zuko and felt their hearts beat for the boy, Zuko spin-kicked Aang right in the jaw, causing Aang to spiral in the air and hit the ground. Aang winced in pain as he felt his jaw burning from Zuko's attack.

(… Zuko. You've gotten stronger. That's for sure.) Aang said to himself. Zuko leapt into the air and prepared to blast his fire-fist into Aang's body.

"AANG!" Toph stomped her foot into the ground. A huge rock ripped out of the earth and knocked Zuko away from Aang. The earth-bender helped Aang up.

"Aang, are you all right?"

"… Yeah, I'm fine. I've been through worse." Aang's words masked the pain he was going through right now. Aang and Toph got into their fighting positions.

"… Let's finish this." Aang announced.

"That's music to my ears." Now it's Aang and Toph tag-teaming on Zuko, combining their air-bending and earth-bending attacks against their adversary! Aang was tough enough for Zuko, but now he had to fend off an earth-bending master AND the Avatar. Toph's earth-bending and Aang's air-bending was relentless, and he didn't seem to have any way of fighting back.

Toph armored up her right arm with stones and smashed it into Zuko's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Seeing an opening, Aang leapt into the air and swung his staff into Zuko's skull with incredible air-bending velocity. The air-bending attack knocked Zuko off his feet and crash into the ground. Seeing the two young teens as the victors, dozens and dozens of spectators cheered for the winners.

"YES!" Aang and Toph exclaimed, slapping their hands together in victory.

A mighty roar echoed throughout the entire park. Aang looked up in the air and spotted Appa descending towards them. A moment later, he saw Sokka and Katara pop their heads out and waved to them.

"Hey, you guys! Ready to fly?" Sokka asked.

"I thought you'd never ask." Aang responded. The siblings helped Aang and Toph mount on Appa's back as they spotted more earth-bending security guards heading right their way and used all the earth they could to bring Appa down. Aang rushed to the harness and took his position.

"Let's get out of here, Appa! YIP YIP!" With one mighty roar, Appa soared right out of Easter Bunny Land. As they watched the earth-bending security guards try in vain to stop them from getting away, Sokka, Katara and Toph stretched their mouths and stuck out their tongues at their pursuers.

Eventually, the Aang gang was far beyond the human eye. As disappointment flushed their egos down the toilet, they saw Zuko slowly get up and regain consciousness. The 27 security guardsmen stood in formation and faced the exiled prince.

"Witnesses say that you're a fire-bender. On orders of high command, you are to be executed AT ONCE!" the chief of security announced. Zuko responded with a roar and a burst into a raging inferno! After letting out a huge stream of fire out of his mouth, Zuko eyed his fiery eyes with very lethal intent.

All the guardsmen felt their knees trembling and backed away.

"Uh… nevermind. IT'S EVERY SOLDIER FOR HIMSELF!" All of security scattered apart and ran away from the powerful fire-bender, running with their tail between their legs. Zuko growled and snorted smoke out of his nostrils like a dragon.

"When we meet again, Avatar, one of us will not survive!" Zuko noticed a very familiar face heading his way. Then it hit him: it was Uncle Iroh! And right behind him were dozens and dozens of young women. On Iroh's chest was the tag "Tour Guide."

"Over here, young ladies, is the Fountain of Love. They said that it's here that Oma and Shu met. As they looked into each other's eyes for the first time, it was love at first sight. Legend had it that they even- oh, hi Lee!"

"… Uncle? I thought you were supposed to lay low. What are you doing here?"

"I decided to work here just like you! Can't let you have all the fun. I earned the position of tour-guide. Quite honorable to have such a position if you ask me." Iroh noticed Zuko backing away and letting his eyes widen in fright.

"Lee? What's the matter?" Iroh asked, using Zuko's alias. The old fire-bending master then heard the girls giggling.

"There are dozens of teenage girls staring at me with grins, and all I'm wearing is a couple of handkerchiefs attached together by a pair of strings. WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK IS THE MATTER?" Zuko exclaimed. More girls felt their faces blush and giggled as they hungrily eyed Zuko's body chiseled with muscle. Zuko hid behind his uncle.

"Uncle, help me out here!" Iroh rubbed his chin. Then he had an idea.

"Attention, ladies. Right behind me is a very fine young gentleman. His name is Lee. He's sixteen years old, his sign is Cancer, and he's a very exceptional martial artist. He really loves a stroll through the beach in the sunset, and he's a romantic at heart. His dream-girl is down-to-earth, cheerful and has a very warm heart."

"… what are you DOING, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"I'm helping you out. It's time you had a girlfriend and finally have a good time." Iroh turned his attention back to the young ladies taking the tour.

"… Oh, one more thing. Lee… is a _virgin_…" The 'v' word completely caused all the girls to lose control. The beautiful young ladies stampede their way for the fire prince and screamed with joy. Zuko screamed with horror and ran away. The girls dare not leave him breathing space as they ran after their boyfriend-to-be. As he ran past some of the rides, more girls joined the stampede and ran after him as well!

"UNCLLLEEE!" Zuko screamed.

"Don't worry, Lee. Just be yourself and everything will fall right into place!" Iroh called out. Iroh stroke his beard, feeling he had helped Zuko take another step to becoming a man.

"… This time, Iroh, you've really out-done yourself. Zuko will be very proud of what I've done. That he will. He reminds me so much of Ozai when he was Zuko's age."

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the Aang gang was high above Easter Bunny Land. What caught the gang's attention was one white spot running away from nearly a hundred pink spots. Aang giggled to himself, imagining Zuko running away from a horde of girls with raging hormones. A second later, he winced in pain and carefully rubbed his chin. He cursed himself, remembering that kick he received from Zuko earlier.

"Aang. What's wrong?" Toph asked.

"It's okay, Toph. It's nothing." Toph sat next to Aang and carefully rubbed his chin, feeling a burn-mark on Aang.

"Oh, man. That Zuko guy really got you good. Here. Let me-"

A water-whip slapped Toph's hand away from Aang. Toph winced in pain and retracted her bruised hand.

"What is your problem, Katara?" Toph asked.

"I will take care of his wound. You just sit there and keep Sokka and Momo company." Katara's voice was forged by authority and, in a way, resentment towards Toph. Not wanting any trouble aboard Appa, Toph played it cool and gave herself distance between herself and Katara. The water-bender knelt next to Aang and transformed her water-whip into its healing form. Katara gently brought her water-submerged hand to Aang's chin and healed the wound inflicted by Zuko.

"Thanks, Katara. You know? You didn't have to use the water-whip on Toph. She's on our side, remember?"

"… I'm sorry, Aang. I didn't know what came over me. Sokka and I went through a lot back at the amusement park. I just felt I needed to let out some steam."

As Aang and Katara talked on, Toph rubbed her hand from the sting of the water-whip. Her eyes weren't on Katara, but she did form a pair of slits out of her eyes.

"That was pretty low, Katara. Consider that to be… Strike One…"


	8. Let Me See Your Face

It has been three days since Aang and his friends escaped Easter Bunny Land and left it in total chaos. Children traumatized by Aang's and Toph's actions, buildings burning out of control, a naked prince chased by wild and crazy teenage girls. That was an experience the Avatar will never forget.

And what made it so special for the Avatar? Toph was by his side the whole time. They shared each other's pain, beat down a fake icon with brute force, and fought together to protect one another from the wrath of Zuko.

That whole time Toph wore a grin. That cute grin Aang couldn't shake off from his mind.

But right now, Aang needed to put such memories aside and focus on his bending. That's what he told himself as he prepared to go all out in his training near a beautiful lake and the mountains. Most of the time, Aang trained with Katara and Toph to master the elements of water and earth, but now it was time for Aang to train alone. In order to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, Aang must learn to use all of the elements, changing from one bending to the next with smooth precision and not leave any openings for the Fire Lord to attack.

For hours, the Avatar concentrated on perfecting the elements of water, earth, even air. Aang felt his muscles burning from every elemental attack and defense taught by Pakku, Katara, Toph and Monk Gyatso. He breathed heavily, but he remained relentless on his training.

_You really think I'm… cute?_

Aang tried to shake off the past and focused on his merciless training, toughening the body and mind. Not wanting to stop, he trained himself on combining two elements at a time, such as earth and water or water and air.

_You're one badass wrecking machine. I'm so proud of you…_

Toph's words nearly caused Aang to falter, but he regained his posture and quickly changed his technique from earth-bending to air-bending. His air-bending skills are unmatched as the trees bent back from Aang's powerful air strikes.

… _I'm so proud of you…_

Out of frustration, Aang slammed his hands into the ground and let out a titanic air-blast combined with earth-bending, sending tons and tons of earth flying into the air and dispersing. Aang fell to his knees to catch his breath.

"… Why? Why can't I get her out of my head?" Aang asked himself. In a way, Aang felt guilty for thinking about Toph in such a way. Ever since he was free from an iceberg, Aang couldn't take his eyes away from Katara. She was one of the kindest people he ever met, one of the most beautiful.

Then Toph came along. At first, Aang and Toph had a rocky relationship as student and teacher. But as time went by, their relationship grew into a steady friendship. But there was more to Toph than just being a tough earth-bending master. Aang began to notice Toph's beauty, outside and inside. The smaller the space between Aang and Toph, the harder Aang's heart pounded.

Aang looked down in disappointment and wrapped his arms around his legs, feeling that having such feelings for Toph would dishonor his growing relationship with Katara.

"Oh, man. What am I going to do? I really like Katara, but now I'm feeling funny around Toph? Maybe the best way to solve this is to talk to each girl at a time and figure this out. Man, it's not going to be easy, but there's no other way.

"I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell Katara how I feel about her once and for all!" Summong as much courage as he could, Aang headed off to the camp.

888

"You want to take Aang WHERE?"

"You heard me loud and clear, Katara. I'm gonna take him to a gentlemen's club when we get to the city of Zhang. That city has the best clubs for men in all of Earth Kingdom. The zennies Aang won will be very handy!"

"Sokka, that is so LOW! What made you even think of something so immoral?"

"Come on, Katara. Checking out a hot geisha is a big step to manhood! Aang is gonna be really happy when I take him to one."

"Oh NO you don't! Aang is too young to go to such a dirty place! And YOU'RE not going to one, either!"

"WHAT? I'm old enough to go!"

Aang finally made it to the campsite. Aang couldn't clearly hear out what Katara and Sokka were discussing about, but the words were beginning to get clearer.

"Aang is only a CHILD!"

That sentence Aang heard crystal-clear. The words from Katara cut deep into Aang's heart as he stopped at his tracks. The Avatar looked away from Katara.

"… So I'm just a child, huh?"

Katara gasped in shock and turned 180, realizing what Aang heard.

"Aang. I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that. We were talking about-"

"I need to resume my training. I'll be back in an hour." Aang stormed off and headed back to his training site. Katara looked away and bit her lip, feeling guilty for saying such a comment about Aang. Katara felt tempted to go after Aang, but she refrained from doing so as she felt he needed some space for now.

"Uh… I'll check on the tents." Feeling partially responsible, Sokka walked off and tried to brush off the guilt. Toph returned to the camp-site after some fishing, carrying five huge hippo-fish.

"Yeah! I hit the jackpot! Five healthy, tasty fish for dinner tonight! Now we can-" Toph noticed bad vibes in the camp. Katara was too still, and Aang's footsteps were really pounding into the earth.

"… Katara. You said something to upset Aang. What did you tell him? I DEMAND you tell me what you said to make him so angry!" Toph stated. Growling to herself and growing irritated by her "interference", Katara summoned water from a nearby lake and slammed her with an enormous wave. Toph coughed some water out of her mouth as Katara towered over the downed earth-bender.

"It's not nice to butt into people's business. Stay out of it. And keep your distance from Aang." Feeling her anger rise to new heights, Katara marched to her tent, leaving the drenched Toph in the ground. Sokka immediately helped Toph up and tried his best to dry her up.

"You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What is wrong with your sister?"

"Call it a hunch, but I think she's jealous of you."

"She's what?"

"I'm telling you, Toph. Ever since you and Aang hang around with each other, Katara's getting more and more ticked off about it. Maybe you should really give some space between yourself and Aang. That way, things can cool down a little. I don't want either of you to fight and end up getting hurt, okay?"

"Thanks for you concern, Sokka. However, there's no way I'm gonna listen to ICE QUEEN over there. I care about Aang more than you think!

"Sokka, I'm gonna find him. He's hurt, and I need to cheer him up. We'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay, Toph. Just be careful out there."

"I will. Thanks."

As Sokka entered his tent, Toph faced the location of Katara's tent and raised her hand, preparing to crush Katara with her earth-bending. Seconds later, Toph settled down her inner fury and regained her composure.

"That, Katara… was Strike TWO…"

Toph brushed off Katara's erratic behavior and took a little something Aang holds dearly. With that very item in her hand, Toph headed off to Aang's training site.

888

"She thinks I'm a child. I felt so much for her, and she thinks I'm some CHILD?" Aang angrily threw another flat rock into the lake and had it skip on the surface. A moment ago, Aang was about to tell how he felt about her. Now he regrets ever having feelings for her at all. Tired of throwing small rocks, Aang summoned a 10-ton disc made of rock and threw it like a Frisbee at a mountain. The mountain trembled from Aang's throw, letting the disc sink halfway inside the mountain.

Feeling even angrier, Aang caused an enormous tidal wave. Aang waved his hands with more fury, causing the lake to turn from serene to chaotic. After a series of menacing waves, Aang collapsed from all the bending he used to let out his rage.

A giggle echoed from behind him. Aang got up and turned around seeing Toph sitting on a rock.

"Hey there, Twinkle Toes."

"Toph, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Oh really. I see you're back to being a pushover like before."

"… That wasn't funny, Toph. Just give me some space, okay?"

"Well, okay. I'll just take this 'nutcracker' with me. I guess it'll make good firewood."

Aang gasped when he knew what 'nutcracker' Toph was talking about. Toph whipped out Aang's air-bending staff and twirled it in the air. Toph was pushing him again! Just like before. Fuming with anger, Aang marched towards the earth-bending master.

"I want my staff back. Hand it over. Now."

"No."

"Toph, I'm in no mood for games! I said HAND IT OVER!"

"Nope. Not gonna happen."

"You're SO GONNA GET IT!" Aang sprinted right for Toph. Hearing his footsteps turn from a march into a sprint, Toph leapt off her rock and ran away from Aang. Toph smiled and giggled as she heard her pursuer running right after her.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

"You want it? Come and get it, Twinkle Toes!" The masters of air-bending and earth-bending ran through the dense forest, seeing who will win: the pursued or the pursuer. Toph summoned columns of stone to block the Avatar's way, but Aang summoned his air-scooter to evade the rock-columns and resume chasing Toph on foot.

"Not bad, Twinkle Toes. But you're not gonna get me!"

Aang started feeling the rage simmer down from within. The frown on his face slowly disappeared and was replaced with a carefree smile. Feeling his heart beating with joy, Aang sprinted even faster, wanting more than just his staff.

"Come on, Toph! Give it back!" Aang said, laughing to himself.

"You gotta catch me first!" Toph said, giggling. Aang really liked that giggle, that very giggle Toph made when he saw her image back at the Swamp.

Aang grabbed Toph by the waist, causing her to screech while still wearing a smile. The bending masters stumbled onto each other and rolled into the ground. As they stopped rolling, they realized they were in a field of beautiful white lotus flowers. Aang and Toph lied next to each other and laughed. The two benders rolled on their sides, facing one another.

"Aang. Don't you wish this would last forever?" Aang blushed as he looked into her eyes.

"… You're so beautiful…" Toph gasped from Aang's comment and felt her face blush. Then she wore a grin.

"Well, I wish I could say the same about you, but I can't see. However…" Toph lied even closer to Aang, close enough to feel his breath brush into her face. Toph gently traced her hands onto Aang's face, feeling every inch of it. Realizing what Aang looked like, she wrapped one arm around Aang's waist and felt her body touch his. Feeling his heart pounding like crazy, Aang gently wrapped his arms around her body as well. Toph leaned closer to Aang's face, her lips an inch away from his. Toph's heart began to pound harder, yearning for this very moment.

"… Aang. You're more than beautiful. You're… perfect…" Toph pressed her lips into Aang's, enjoying the taste of his lips. Feeling his entire body draining from Toph's kiss, Aang closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Toph's body even more. The Avatar relished the taste of Toph's lips, feeling it was sweeter than honey. Toph's scent drove Aang to kiss her with more passion and energy, running his hand around Toph's back. Feeling his chiseled pecs pressing into her developing breasts, Toph opened her mouth and consumed Aang's kiss even more, gently rubbing her legs into his.

The wind gently blew by the two lovers and let the white lotus flowers bend to its path. The sun broke through the clouds and shined a ray of light over the field of white lotus flowers, shining warmly over Aang and Toph. Feeling the warm sun, the gentle wind and all the flowers around them, Aang and Toph wished that it was a moment that would last for eternity.

Neither of them realized that over a dozen pair of red eyes glowed within the dense forest, every pair glaring right at the Avatar with sheer malice.


	9. Dark Inferno!

Aang and Toph held hands as they walked down the dense forest, returning to camp. The two lovers still felt their faces blushing, remembering that wonderful moment in the field of lotus flowers. Aang got a little closer to Toph and wrapped his arm around her waist. Toph leaned her head on Aang's shoulder.

"You were quite a stallion back there, Aang. I thought you'd never settle down," Toph said, remembering how he lied on top of her and kissed her neck. Aang let out a grin.

"There's a lot more where that came from," Aang said in a sly way. Toph covered her mouth and giggled.

"Aang, cut it out. I never knew you were such a flirt!" Toph said. As they continued strolling down the forest, Toph's hand sneaked in back of Aang and gave him a light pinch in the butt, causing Aang to jump and let out a light yelp. Aang quickly grabbed Toph by the waist and had her gently lean her back on a tree. Aang leaned his hand on the tree, gazing into her lovely eyes. Toph felt her heart pound as she took in the boy's scent. The girl grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer.

"Come 'ere, lover-boy…" Toph leaned forward and kissed him. Drinking in that delicious kiss, Aang let his body touch hers and kissed her back. Toph wrapped her arms around the body of the Avatar, tracing her fingers gently around his spine.

A twig snapped. Toph's eyes flashed open and broke the kiss.

"… Aang. Did you hear something?" Toph asked quietly. Her sudden change in her tone of voice alerted the Avatar. Danger, he thought to himself.

"… I didn't hear anything. What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Someone's watching us. No, wait. There's more of them. I can feel the vibrations all around us. Aang. GET DOWN!" Toph grabbed Aang and hit the dirt. A dozen throwing stars called shurikens hit the tree the two lovers were leaning on with blinding speed. Aang and Toph jumped up and got into their combat positions.

"How many of them do you sense?" Aang asked.

"Twelve. From what I heard, they must be armed with swords. Katanas! THEY'RE COMING!" Aang whipped out his air-bending staff while Toph summoned a pair of fighting sticks made of solid rock. In a flash, a dozen ninja warriors in black leapt out of their hiding spots in the trees and headed right for Toph and the Avatar, every one of them armed with lethal ninja katanas!

"DARK! INFERNO!" all the ninjas screamed. The moment the ninjas and the teenaged bending masters collided, all hell broke loose. Aang had to handle seven of the ninjas while Toph took on five. The dark warriors shown their incredible fighting prowess with their swordsmanship and fantastic speed, but Aang and Toph were prepared. Aang blasted away three ninjas with his air-blast while Toph beat down two of them with her sticks and smashed the third with a boulder.

Aang's remaining opponents proved relentless in cutting the Avatar into pieces. Aang blocked the swords with his staff, thankful his trusty weapon is still holding together. Aang spun low and leg-sweeped all his four opponents off their feet. Seeing them in the air, Aang swung his staff like a bat and smashed them right out of the forest. Toph grabbed the last two of her opponents with her stone-hard hands and bashed their skulls together, sending them to dreamland.

Moments later, much of the dense forest looked more like a warzone. Many unconscious ninjas lie all around Aang and Toph. The duo let down their guards and caught their breath. Aang walked to the closest downed ninja and knelt down to him, examining anything that could give him a clue as to who the hell they were. One thing caught the Avatar's eye.

On the ninja's shoulder was a red fireball.

"… Fire Nation. The Fire Lord sent ninjas to find us! These guys must be friends with that master of disguise I fought at Pa Ching Ko!" Aang said. Toph swore to herself.

"No wonder I had a difficult time sensing their vibrations. Those sneaky guys are serious trouble with a capital T. Do you think that's the last of them?"

"I really wholeheartedly hope so, Toph."

"Not even hope will save you."

A chill poured down the two warriors as they faced where the new voice came from. Standing on an enormous boulder was an unmasked ninja. His incredible smile contrasted with his evil, blood-red eyes. He folded his arms and looked down on Aang and Toph, not bothering to prepare drawing his ninja katana on his back.

"I am Cail, second-in-command of the Dark Inferno Clan. I had a feeling you'd survive the Rain of Death. However, I didn't expect you to spare my men. I thought you'd truly have the heart of a warrior, taking lives without hesitation. You may think you've won, but this game has just begun…"

With a snap from Cail's fingers, a hundred more ninjas popped out of their hiding spots, surrounding Aang and Toph. With eyes of death on the teens, the warriors of the night slowly drew out their swords and spears.

"Aang, what are we gonna do now?" Toph asked.

"… There's only one thing we're gonna do. RUN AWAY!" Aang grabbed Toph's hand and ran like hell to the camp, hoping that Sokka and Katara were all right. The ninjas watched Aanga and Toph hightail out of there, but none of them made any attempt to pursue the young teens.

"… Kill them." Cail's command surged bloodlust into all the ninja warriors as they screamed and finally started pursuing Aang and Toph, either on foot or by tree-hopping. Cail, however, remained right where he stood. He chuckled to himself, feeling that the Avatar and his friends will get away from such an ordeal.

He was craving for their survival. That way, the fun could last a little longer.

888

"Aang and Toph have been gone for too long. I don't like it."

"Relax, Katara. I'm sure those two can take care of themselves."

"Well, I just wish those two could get here just a little sooner."

Sokka shook his head while cleaning up the pans, wondering if Katara will ever stop pacing back and forth and worry about Aang and Toph. Especially Aang. Sokka put the pan down and set his attention on his sister.

"Katara, just admit it."

"Admit what, Sokka?"

"Admit that you're jealous."

"… what?"

"I see jealousy written all over you, Katara. You're jealous of Toph!"

"… That's so not true. Aang would never fall for that tomboy."

"Really. Then why in the world did you hit Toph with a wave in the first place? You were way out of line that time."

"Sokka, you don't understand what I'm going through! How would you feel if someone you love so much falls for someone else?"

"Well, for one thing, I wouldn't attack any of my friends if he ever wanted to hit on my girlfriend. I'd talk it out. You should do the same thing instead of going ballistic."

Katara finally stopped pacing and sat on a rock.

"You're right, Sokka. I'm going to apologize to Toph the moment I see her."

"Great! Finally, there won't be any friction in our group! Hey, Katara. Let's-"

"**GET ON APPA! WE'RE GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"**

Sokka and Katara were completely startled by Aang's sudden outburst. Aang and Toph ran past the siblings and immediately started packing up.

"We gotta leave this place! Now! PRONTO!" Toph shouted, earth-bending a lot of the stuffed supplies onto Appa's back.

"Aang, hold your horses. What's going o-" A neatly wrapped sleeping bag knocked into Sokka's stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"If we stay and talk, we'll die! PACK NOW!" Screwing the idea of being neat, Aang air-bended the remaining supplies, Katara, Sokka, and Toph onto Appa. Aang leapt onto Appa's neck and grabbed the harnesses.

"LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, APPA! YIP YIP!" Hearing Aang's command, Appa roared and took off into the sky. Seconds later, a horde of ninja warriors stormed the area the camp use to be set up and threw shurikens at Appa. Aang navigated Appa to the right, dodging the deadly attack. Aang felt his heart finally settling down as he looked down and saw the ninjas below look like nothing more than little black dots.

"Aang, what the hell was THAT down there?" Sokka asked.

"… They were ninjas. Ninjas from Fire Nation. I thought we'd be dead for sure," Aang said, falling onto his back and taking a breather.

"Son of a BITCH! And I thought Azula and her friends were tough," Toph said, remembering a ninja nearly chopping off her head back in the forest.

"… Aang. We're in real serious trouble. They're coming!"

"What? But we lost them back in the forest, Katara."

"Oh no we didn't. Twenty ninjas at 6 o'clock!"

Aang got up and turned around, seeing twenty winged ninjas right behind them! All the ninjas' wings were fiery red and shaped like wings from a bat. The ninjas flew in 'v' formation, gaining on the Aang Gang.

"Firebats. ENGAGE!" Nightingale, leader of the Firebats, commanded.

"**_FOR THE FIRE LORD AND THE DARK INFERNO CLAN!" _**the ninja firebats screamed. The firebats blasted fire out of their very feet, increasing velocity and closing the gap between themselves and the target!

None of the Aang gang, especially Aang, ever imagined the fire-bending ninjas to use fire-bending in such a scientific manner.

"… Oh s---…" Aang swore to himself. The firebats used their free hands to shoot fireballs right at Appa. Aang cleared his mind and steered Appa away from their fiery wrath. More fireballs were shot at the Aang gang. Aang knew that continuing to dodge their wrath won't last forever.

"Aang! Fly us close to the river! I'll use the water to wipe them out!" Katara said.

"No, Aang. Fly us real close to the mountains! That way, I can send the earth right down on them!" Toph said.

"The river, Aang!"

"No! The mountains!"

"River!"

"Mountains!"

"RIVER!"

"MOUNTAINS, YOU LOUD-MOUTH!"

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP? YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" Katara and Toph were startled by Sokka's tone. Usually, Sokka would be such a clown to the group. Hearing that tone of voice brought out a completely different side of Sokka.

"… I'll handle the ninjas." Sokka whipped out not one but eight boomerangs! These boomerangs were bigger and a whole lot meaner than his first one. And unlike the prototype, his new boomerangs were incredibly sharp! Holding his boomerangs in his tough leather gloves, Sokka took aim at the Firebats.

"Time to dance!" Sokka threw one boomerang, then another, then another, at the attackers. His boomerangs hit their targets dead aim, either knocking them out or tearing apart their wings. Aang and Katara couldn't believe what they were watching. It's like watching eight beautiful birds bringing down twenty grotesque ones.

Sokka's boomerangs returned to their master. As he twirled his boomerangs and holstered them back into his backpack, Aang, Katara and Toph were left with their mouths hanging.

"… I can't believe it. Sokka saved us all. Didn't see that one coming," Katara said.

"Sokka. That was… amazing." Aang said.

"No autographs, please. It was nothing."

Toph felt relieved the pursuit was over and slumped next to Aang.

"Thank goodness that was over. Now we can finally relax."

"We can't afford to do that, Toph. If we want to be safe, we have to head to Zhang. That's the home of the Great Sage, the wisest and smartest man in the world. That Dark Inferno Clan won't stop until we're all dead. We have to learn everything we can if we want to bring them down once and for all!" Aang said.

"Aang's got a point. It's stupid to go head-on with a powerful force we hardly know anything about. To Zhang we go!"

The Aang gang finally let down their defenses and relaxed, knowing that the city of Zhang is only a few hours away. When Katara sat next to Aang, something caught her attention.

"Aang? What's that on your neck? Is that a rash? Are you all right?" Aang blushed and hid that red mark on his neck with his collar. Aang thought that the hickey Toph gave him would go away. Toph sucked on Aang's neck a little harder than he thought.

"It-it's nothing. I'm fine. Really." Aang tried to fight off the flush in his face. He knew that in time, he'll have to tell Katara the truth.

He'll have to tell Katara that she's not the one.


	10. Welcome to Zhang

Aang slowly opened his eyes from a really good nap. As he yawned, he felt an arm wrap around his body and a girl's cheek rest next to his. Aang smiled to himself and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, closing his eyes to the cloudy skies.

"… Oh Toph. You're so warm, and your skin is as smooth as silk. I don't ever want to let you go," Aang whispered to himself. Toph needed a nap just as much as the Avatar did, unable to withstand the long journey to Zhang. The snoozing, blind warrior smiled to herself as she snuggled closer to her lover.

Aang felt another arm wrap around his body. He felt her nicely shaped body touch his, chuckling to himself as he felt her breasts press into the side of his body. She smiled and rubbed her cheek into his. Aang wrapped his other arm around her shoulders.

"… Oh, Katara. You smell so good. Just hold me a little longer. You make me wanna WHAT THE FREAKIN HELL?"

Aang's eyes burst wide open. Toph and Katara were snuggling with Aang in their sleep! Aang's heat shot right off the roof as the two beautiful girls giggled to themselves and snuggling even more with the Avatar, letting their legs intertwine with his. Aang's heart thumped like mad.

(Oh… MAN! This is like a dream come true. But if they wake up, it's gonna turn into a NIGHTMARE! How do I get out of this mess?) Aang asked himself. There was no time to think. Any second now, and those girls were going to wake up in Aang's arms. From there, things were going to get ugly.

There was only one course of action to take. Aang sneezed. Hard. His sneezing power shot him right out of Katara's and Toph's embrace. Aang landed right on Appa's neck and grabbed the harness, grateful that Appa no longer had to go auto-pilot. Aang took a breather and tried to fight off the heat within his body. Being embraced by two gorgeous girls was almost impossible for any boy to resist. Even for the Avatar.

"… Ooooohhhh boy. Are we getting close to Zhang yet?" Sokka yawned out, stretching and scratching himself. Momo woke up as well, begging for a nut. Sokka lazily grabbed a nut from Aang's sack and flicked it into Momo's hands. Momo ate it with incredible speed and handed Sokka a nice apple.

"Thanks, Momo. Hey, Aang. Is Zhang getting any closer?"

"Zhang is only a few miles away. We'll be landing in just a couple of minutes."

"That's cool. Uh, Aang? Why are you blushing?"

"… You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Eventually, the Aang gang landed right in front of the outer wall of Zhang, little sister of Ba Sing Se. Many consider Zhang to be the twin of Ba Sing Se, due to its incredible defenses against invaders and fascinating gourmet restaurants. However, what truly separated Zhang from Ba Sing Se was that it was the true realm of romance. Many legendary romantic tales were born in the city of Zhang, from the love between Oma and Shu to the love between Mizuki and Sozin.

"Uh, hello up there? We seek refuge in your city! And we must request an audience with the Great Sage! It's of great importance!" Aang called out to the guards up on top of the Great Wall. A bigger guardsman passed by the other guard and looked down to the newcomers. The tall warrior summoned a rock-elevator and stepped right into it, bringing the elevator and him to ground level to face the Avatar and his friends. The armored, tremendously muscular warrior looked down the newcomers.

"So you seek to request an audience with the Great Sage. My name is Toyota, head commander of the earth-bending defense team. There is only one way to enter the city of Zhang: answer my riddle. The Great Sage feels that only those with a good head on his/her shoulders can step foot into the magnificent city of Zhang.

"Are you ready to answer my riddle, Avatar?"

Aang took a step forward to Toyota. His enormous size did not intimidate the Avatar one bit.

"I am ready. Please give me your riddle."

"What is the number between one… and THREE."

Aang's jaw hung and his eyebrows went crooked.

"… Two."

Toyota backed away from Aang's incredible intellect.

"Oh my GOSH! You must be the most intelligent being in the world! It took me WEEKS figure out that very question the Great Sage laid upon me! You and your friends… may pass."

Toyota stepped aside and beckoned Aang and his friends into the city. The Great Wall entered by the will of the earth-bending defense team, opening like two gargantuan doors. Aang, Katara and Sokka felt their eyes lock onto the exposed city of Zhang, drinking in the incredible beauty that only Ba Sing Se can match.

"…whoopee. Let's get in there before those ninja psychos come after us," Toph said. The whole gang headed right into Zhang. Appa obediently walked with Aang as he held onto Appa's harness. Momo looked all around with great energy, unable to hold still as he felt so much life around Zhang.

Finally, the Great Wall closed shut.

"… What a dumbass…" Aang muttered to himself.

888

"Cail, I don't feel comfortable in this outfit. We should have snuck into the city and kill the Avatar in his sleep!"

"That's pretty close to impossible, Nightingale. If we tried to get into Zhang in our true guise, the guardsmen would try to kill us without hesitation! You have your orders from Lord Blackburn. Now follow it."

"… I don't like it. I don't know what's more repulsive: wearing this stupid kimono or pretending to be your wife."

Cail, Nightingale and twenty of their Dark Inferno ninja brethren headed on foot towards the wall of Zhang, dressed up as simple peasants. As they stopped at the great wall, Cail stepped forward.

"We seek refuge from the city of Zhang! Our village has been attacked by the Fire Nation! Our homes have been burned, and our livestock has been taken away. PLEASE have pity upon us!" Toyota descended to the ground from his earth-elevator and took a few steps towards the 'villagers', towering over every one of them.

"My name is Toyota. I am the head commander of the earth-bending defense team and head of all security. If you want to enter Zhang, there's only one way to enter the city: answer my riddle. That is the will of the Great Sage.

"Are you ready to answer my riddle?"

"… I am ready." Cail answered.

(This will be a piece of cake…) Nightingale said to herself, hearing rumors of Zhang's incredibly simple and stupid riddles.

"I have a million eyes, yet I cannot see.

"I can take you to so many worlds in a matter of minutes.

"I am the guardian of your soul. I am the sword, the shield, the star that shines in the night.

"What am I?"

All the ninjas in disguise, even Cail, stared at Toyota in shock. None of them expected such a complicated riddle to surface. Cail rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"… A little help over here, you guys?" Cail said. Nightingale slapped her forehead.

888

The entire gang was strolling through the busy streets of Zhang. Everywhere their head turned, life flourished. Sales boomed through numerous stores and restaurants got crowded frequently. Momo tried so hard to resist the temptation of diving into a huge pile of tasty nuts in a supermarket.

But something truly caught Sokka's eyes. Three beautiful women were leaning on a balcony of their brothel, and they were waving to Sokka. All three of the half-naked women smiled and whistled to the young man.

"Hey, big boy. Why don't you and your young friend come on up and have fun with us? We'll give you a night you'll never forget…" one of the women with long black silky hair said, blowing a kiss to Sokka.

Sokka smiled and waved back to the women. Sokka rested his arm around Aang's shoulder.

"… Aang, good 'ol buddy. How would you feel about taking a major step to manhood tonight?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"See those three women up there? If we get lucky tonight, we'll become MEN! I'll take the tall one. You can have a petite one with short brown hair. We got the zennies to make our night worthwhile. How about it, Aang? Feelin' lucky?"

"Uh… I don't know, Sokka. It doesn't feel right."

"What are you TALKING about? Aang, just come with me to that brothel and-"

Katara yanked Sokka by the ear and pulled him away from Aang.

"Sokka, for the last time, no gentlemen's club! And definitely NO brothel!" As Katara pulled Sokka away by ear, preventing him from trying to corrupt Aang's mind, Toph giggled to herself and ringed her arm with Aang's.

"Boys will be boys. You don't have to waste your time with that place, Aang. Besides, you have me…" Toph got on her tippy-toes and gave Aang a smooch on the cheek, making Aang blush big time. Toph pulled away from her kiss.

"Aang? What's the matter?" Aang looked away, feeling a sense of guilt.

"… Toph, there's something I have to do tonight. I need to have a talk with Katara. All I'm asking is that you trust me."

Eventually, it took time for Toph to understand what was bothering Aang. Then she remembered: Katara has a crush on Aang. She could tell the moment she met the gang for the first time, feeling the vibrations from Katara whenever she was around Aang.

However, Toph had to acknowledge to herself that her feelings for Aang were stronger than Katara's. Much stronger. But she also acknowledged that when Katara finds out that Aang loves Toph, their friendship could be forever shattered. Is Katara's friendship really worth sacrificing for Aang's love?

Damn right it was.

Feeling that Katara wasn't seeing them together, Toph embraced Aang and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"… I don't only trust you, Aang. I love you. I know you'll do the right thing."

"… Toph…" Feeling warm all over, Aang took Toph by the hand and headed for their destination: The Sage's Sacred Library. Katara and Sokka were quite ahead of them, Appa and Momo not far behind, but Aang and Toph were catching up. Aang looked away from Katara's beauty.

(Katara… I'm sorry…)


	11. Calm Before The Storm

"Yes! We're here! Now we can finally get some answers."

"Sokka, I still can't picture you to be the library type. Maybe you should wait outside. Don't wanna have another library sink into the earth."

"Haha. Very funny, Toph."

"Guys, we have no time to horse around. Let's get in there and get the info we need. Appa? Momo? You two will have to stay out here, okay?"

The air bison and the lemur nodded their heads to Aang. Aang patted them both on the head.

"Good boys. Let's go in, you guys." Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph walked up the stairs to the entrance of the gigantic Sacred Library, home of the Great Sage. Many legends spawned from the great library that was built 2500 years ago. Some say the library was cursed by ghosts and demons whose knowledge was stolen from a corrupt librarian and demand their knowledge back. Others mention that the Great Sage was over a thousand years old. Some even said that it's not even human. Despite the legends, all the Aang gang cared about was finding a way to stop the Dark Inferno Clan right at its tracks.

The gang was awestruck as they tilted their heads and took in the vast knowledge all around them. The library was at least eighteen stories tall and there were so many shelves of books that it's almost impossible to count. Hundreds and hundreds of people filled the library, eager to read whatever they can find, but all of them were as quiet as a mouse. If Momo was inside the library, he would have a blast flying through all the vast space in the center.

"This place is… enormous. Not as big as the one in the desert, but it's still so huge. Where do we start?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Aang," Sokka said.

"What we really need is a guide to this place. Finding the main office shouldn't be that hard." Katara said.

"May I help you?"

Aang and his friends turn their attention to the newcomer. A young handsome man politely took off his hat and bowed to the group.

"My name is Chen. The Great Sage is eager to see you. Please, follow me."

Aang and his friends were startled by Chen's words. How did the Sage already know of their coming? Could he be psychic? Instead of asking themselves questions, the gang followed Chen to the main office. When he got behind the desk of the main office, Chen pulled a lever. A pair of bookshelves pulled apart from each other, revealing a secret path.

"… The Great Sage prefers to stay in her quarters. She's not too comfortable about going out to the public world and revealing her face. Please follow me." Chen walked in. After giving each other a cautious look, the Aang gang walked inside.

888

"A sea dragon from the lands of Mitsubishi."

"Incorrect. Try again."

"A mutated saber-toothed moose lion."

"Wrong answer."

"The first Avatar?"

"Nope."

While Cail tried to think up more answers to Toyota's riddle, the disguised ninjas gathered around a campfire and talked amongst themselves. Nightingale threw a ball of fire out of her hand to feed the campfire.

"That idiot has been trying to find an answer for over an hour now. We should have already been inside Zhang and accomplishing the task at hand! If this were my day off, I'd be taking a nice bubble-bath right now."

The other ninjas looked away from Nightingale and blushed, picturing her getting naked and slowly stepping into a nice tub. None of them ever admitted it, but Nightingale was one of the most beautiful female ninjas in the entire clan. From head to toe, her lovely body was the epitome of excellence. The ninjas in disguise tried to fight off such thoughts, putting their allegiance to Lord Blackburn ahead of their attraction to one of his lieutenants. Her long black hair flowed in the wind so nicely.

The sounds of over a dozen bodies dropping caught the attention of Toyota, falling one by one. Right before turning around to see what's going on at the top of the Great Wall, a ninja with pale eyes and no pupils jumped off the Great Wall and landed right on Toyota's shoulders. The ninja quickly chopped both sides of Toyota's neck with his very hands. As Toyota fell to his knees and flat on his face, the newcomer leapt off his body and landed gracefully in front of Cail. Cail smirked and laughed to himself.

"Well done, Silence. You've done your part perfectly." Cail said. Nightingale and the other ninjas got up to see a new turn of events.

"Cail, what's going on here? Why is that daredevil interfering with the mission?"

"Nightingale, you fool. Silence is part of the mission. We were to provide the distraction for the guards while Silence disposed of them." Cail and the ninjas threw off their disguises and revealed their true ninja guise. Growling to herself for not being let in on all the details of the mission, Nightingale revealed her ninja guise as well. Cail prepared to run up the wall.

"Now, my brethrens! It's time for us to kill the Avatar!" Just when Cail was about to head up the wall, Silence quickly blocked his path and held out his right hand.

"What are you doing, Silence? Get out of the way." Silence shook his head. Angered by his defiance, Cail got into his combat position and had fire burn out of his very hands.

"I'm not going to ask you again, young one. Come with us to destroy the Avatar or die here…" Cail threatened. Still leaving his hand out to block their way, Silence let his pale eyes literally burn with fury. Knowing of Silence's fascinating fire-bending abilities, all the ninjas stepped back from what would be a very deadly fire-bending duel.

"Wait. I think I know what Silence trying to tell us." Nightingale said. Reluctantly, Cail and Silence lowered their guard. Nightingale stood face-to-face with the young fire-bending prodigy named Silence, but she had no intention to fight. Her lovely green eyes looked into Silence's eyes, studying his facial expression.

"... That's what Lord Blackburn wants? Is that what you're trying to tell us?" Nightingale asked, her face blushing from what Silence told her nonverbally.

Silence nodded his head. Nightingale turned her attention to her superior.

"Cail. Lord Blackburn has new orders for us to carry out. Silence said that we have to take the Avatar… alive."

"What? This is absurd! We're better off-"

"Are you willing to defy Lord Blackburn? You know what he does to those who dared to defy him." Cail gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"… Very well. You have your new orders, ninjas. Let's go."

In a flash, all the ninjas sprinted up the Great Wall with ease. Nightingale smiled to herself, happy about the change of plans.

888

"Greetings, young ones. I am the Great Sage, Wing Shu. It is a pleasure to see you all." Despite her gentle voice, Aang, Katara, and Sokka trembled in horror and took a few steps back. Not even her beautiful chambers could distract them from the very sight of the sage. Feeling fear all over them made Toph wear a question mark over her head.

"What's wrong with you guys? She sounds like a nice lady," Toph said.

"Toph, if you can see her you'd be shaking as well. She's not human. She's a GIGANTIG LIGHT-BROWN OWL!" Aang said.

"… She's even BIGGER than the other owl we had to face back in the desert," Katara said, hiding behind Sokka, who was hiding behind a column.

The owl laughed to herself.

"Oh no no, children. You have nothing to worry about. My brother back in the desert, unfortunately, has a dislike for humans. I, however, prefer to continue studying such a peculiar race. Unlike my brother, I'm not giving up on humanity just yet. Please, have a seat. Have some crackers and dumplings."

Aang, Katara and Sokka were taken aback from the Sage's sense of hospitality. Reluctantly, all the teens sat in their comfy seats and took a bite of their treats.

"… Thank you, wise one. We apologize for our rudeness. And we thought you'd be a man. We apologize for that as well.

"Wing Shu, we come to ask you information about the Dark Inferno Clan. The clan is trying to kill us all, and we have to stop them before they succeed. Will you help us?" Aang asked.

"Apology accepted. You are very brave for someone so young, willing to face evil despite the odds. Avatar, have you ever heard of the old saying 'There's no such thing as black and white, only shades of gray?'"

"Yes, wise one. That's what the air-bending monks have taught me."

"The Dark Inferno Clan is as black as they come. The Fire Nation has been well known for creating the art of ninjutsu and establishing numerous ninja cults to serve the Fire Lord for countless generations. Ninjutsu is the martial arts discipline of stealth and assassination. They can move in and kill off a target without making a sound. Those who live by the way of the ninja care nothing about honor. They only care about getting the job done. Period.

"The Dark Inferno Clan is by far the most feared and vicious of all the other ninja clans within the Fire Nation. Their combination of mastering fire-bending, weapons, and cunning makes the clan a true force to be reckoned with. Unlike the other ninja cults, however, the Dark Infernos have a twisted sense of honor. When there's a dispute between two members, they don't try to kill one other when opportunity comes. Instead, they duel to the death. The one who dies regains his honor while the one who wins makes his honor grow even more. Their sense of unpredictability truly brings fear to those who faced the Clan. And here's another fact: every mission the Dark Infernos were given was a success. Not once have they ever failed to carry one out, from infiltration to assassination."

"For the first time, it feels like we're way in over our heads here." Toph said, clenching her fist. With all that information, Toph started to feel that the Dai Lee back in Ba Sing Se was a bunch of pussycats compared to the Dark Infernos!

"But there has to be some way to stop them! There MUST!" Aang said.

"Well, there is… one way."

"What is it? Come on, SPILL it!" Sokka said.

"You must kill the warlord of the Dark Inferno Clan."

Her answer had all their hearts freeze.

"Kill the ninja cult's warlord? You're expecting us to head into the lion's den and bring down the head of the pride?" Sokka asked.

"It's the only way to stop the dark tide of the Dark Infernos. Kill the leader, and the rest of the clansmen will lose their lust for your blood."

"Where will we find the home base of the Dark Infernos?" Aang aksed.

"In the Fire Nation's very capital. There is a hidden path in the end of a dark alley nearby the Agni Kai Colliseum. You cannot miss it." None of the teens liked her answers, but they had no other choice but to accept them. Aang and the rest got up from their seats. Aang placed his fist in his palm and bowed to the Great Sage, Wing Shu.

"Thank you, wise one. You've been of great help to us. Is there any way we can repay you?' Aang asked.

"Well, there is one way. Be my guests. Feel free to treat my home as if it's yours." The Great Sage gasped.

"…Oh, I almost forgot. You're still uncomfortable with this very image you see before me. To make you more comfortable, I'll take my human form." A thick white mist circled all around the Great Sage and consumed her completely. When the mist disappeared, the form of a huge owl was no longer present. Instead, there stood a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her body was very curvy under her lovely red dress, and she had the biggest pair of breasts Aang and Sokka have ever seen.

"Will this form do for you?" Wing Shu asked so kindly.

Staring at Wing Shu, Aang and Sokka slowly grinned and nodded their heads.

"I like that form a _lot_..."Aang said, grin widening.

"I'm all yours you HOT MOMMA!" Sokka said. Toph and Katara grabbed the boys by the back of their collars and dragged them away from the Great Sage. The boys kicked and screamed, demanding to stay overnight in the sage's personal quarters.

"We'll just stay at an Inn. Thanks for your hospitality, though," Katara said.

"Yeah. Thanks, old lady," Toph added. Eventually, the whole gang left her personal quarters. The Great Sage felt her eye twitch.

"Did she just call me… old?"

888

"Ah, customers. Welcome to the Happy Swallow Inn. You're very lucky there's still vacancy here. How may I help you?"

"Two rooms for two, please." Katara said

"Of course. Rooms 512 and 428 are available. The stable for your air bison is available as well. The payment will be one thousand zennies per night for the two rooms and additional one thousand for the stable."

Aang gave the host of the Inn a bag full of two thousand zennies. The host politely handed them the keys.

"Thank you. Here are your keys. And don't worry about your air bison and lemur. They'll be shown just as much hospitality as you will all receive."

"Thanks, mister. Let's get to our rooms!" Aang said, filled with excitement. The whole gang began to run to the flight of stairs.

"Oh. One more thing!"

"What is it, mister?" Aang asked.

"Don't forget about tonight. Tonight is the Firefly Festival. There's going to be a lot of dancing, games, food and so much more! Be sure to be in your nicest attire when the sun falls. Have fun, kids!"

All of the gang got to their rooms and settled right in. Aang and Sokka took room 428 while Katara and Toph took 512. In 428, Aang and Sokka lied comfortably in their beds.

"Oh, man. I was really hoping we'd stay at the Sacred Library. You have to admit: Wing Shu was one fine catch! She has the finest set or racks…" Sokka said dreamily.

"Well, you can have her if you want. I already found that special someone."

"Oh, I see. Well, good luck with her, Aang. I'm sure she'll have a fun time with you," Sokka, picturing Aang hooking up with Katara.

"Yeah. She's… just perfect," Aang said, dreaming about having Toph in his arms. Aang decided to change the subject.

"Hey, Sokka. I have to ask you: where did you get those new boomerangs? They look way cooler than the usual one you always had."

"To tell you the truth, Aang, I have no idea."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know, but it's true. One morming, when I woke up, they were sitting in front of me. It's like someone read my mind and made them just for me."

"You're one lucky dude, Sokka. Maybe you'll even be luckier tonight. You might get to find that special someone as well."

"Well, I don't know. Suki's still out there. And so is Ty Lee. And there are those poetry girls back at Ba Sing Se. And let's not leave out Azula. She's a major babe …"

While the boys talk on, Katara and Toph were tidying themselves up in their own room.

"Uh, Toph?"

"Yeah, Katara?"

"I'm… I'm sorry about earlier. I was way out of line when I used water-bending on you back at the forest. I'm not going to use my bending against you ever again."

"Apology accepted, Katara. Let's just put it all behind us and have a good time tonight. What do you say?"

"No argument here, Toph." The girls finally shook hands, letting bygones be bygones.

"Best of friends. No matter what?" Toph asked.

"No matter what, Toph," Katara answered.

888

As the sun was starting to set, a group of 23 earth-bending soldiers marched down the streets of Zhang. All of them marched as one, moving like one incredible machine that's ready to protect Zhang at all costs. Some of the children were awed by the armor and the composure of the soldiers, looking as though they were indestructible.

One young boy playing earth-bending soccer noticed one thing about one of the soldiers. One of them had pale eyes. When that soldier looked at the boy staring at him, the soldier let his eye flare with fire. The boy felt chills run down his skin and ran off.

"How long are we going to carry out this charade? Waiting to strike at the Avatar irritates me," Nightingale said through her helmet. Cail was grateful that all the armor they stole from the defeated earth-bending soldiers fit perfectly on his fellow ninjas. Yet, Nightingale still dares to complain. Cail shook his head.

"You are so full of impatience and anxiety, Nightingale. The Firefly Festival is only hours away, and we will use it to our advantage. When the Avatar lets his guard down to enjoy the night, we will apprehend him and take him to Fire Nation.

"For the past two thousand years, the Dark Inferno Clan has never failed one mission, Nightingale. Do not let your lack of patience interfere with it. Understand?" Cail asked. Nightingale bit her lip and looked away from her superior. She may detest him, but she dared not test his patience. Besides, his fire-bending skills clearly surpassed hers.

"Yes, I understand. Forgive me for showing such weakness." Cail snorted and turned away from the black-haired beauty. A gentle hand was placed on Nightingale's shoulder. The beautiful ninja in disguise softly placed her hand on it.

"Thank you for understanding me, Silence. It's just that the Avatar… distracts me. He's young, yet beautiful. Ever since I helped take Chameleon away from the Head Bangers Arena, I couldn't shake the Avatar off. I tried to think that killing the Avatar was the right thing to do, but I just couldn't imagine doing it even if I had the chance.

"I want him all to myself! When we bring him to our lair and present him to Lord Blackburn, the Avatar will be _mine_…"


	12. There's Someone Else

As a cluster of colorful fireworks erupted in the sky, the festival commenced. Families and singles alike enjoyed the festival as they played games and dined in the most exquisite restaurants.

Aang, Katara and Toph were shoulder to shoulder as they were bopping for apples from a tank of water. Sokka didn't bother to participate in the game, feeling he was better off checking out the ladies. The three apple-boppers were really neck-to-neck, all of them having 12 apples in their own buckets. Katara and Toph were starting to slow down and catch their breath, but Aang's momentum didn't slow down a bit.

"TIME'S UP!" Hearing the host's voice, all three of the teens took their heads out of the water tank. While the three grabbed a towel to dry themselves up, the host took a good look into each of their buckets.

"Katara has 19 apples. Toph has 17 apples. The Avatar has 25 apples! The winner of the game: THE AVATAR!" Many people clapped and cheered for Aang's victory. Many girls wanted to crowd around Aang and ask for their autograph, but a very mean glare from Toph and Katara told them to back off or else. So instead, the girls waved goodbye to Aang and headed off.

"Well, Avatar. Here's your prize: a stuffed teddy bear, looking exactly like the Earth King's pet. Whichever girl you offer this bear to will become your love for life." Aang thanked the man and left the apple-bopping booth with his friends.

A moment later, they stopped by at a nice restaurant called Twisted Dragon and enjoyed their own favorite meals. While Sokka sat on one side of the table, Katara and Toph sat side-by-side with Aang. This made Aang have a slightly difficult time enjoying his nuts and salad.

"I wonder who Aang will give that teddy bear to. She has to be sweet, kind-hearted, sensitive to her man's needs, and keep him safe from harm's way," Katara said.

"I think what Aang really needs is a woman with strong will. She'd know how to have fun and have a great sense of adventure."

Toph snuck her hand underneath the long table. The cute earth-bender wore a grin and gently placed her hand on Aang's thigh. Aang let out a gasp.

(And she would know every sweet spot on his body.) Toph said to herself. Aang's face turned deep red, feeling her hand caress his left thigh. Katara secretly snuck her hand underneath the table as well and placed her hand on Aang's other thigh, not aware of what Toph was doing. She smiled to herself as she rubbed her hand on his thigh up and down.

(Since I have been trained in the ways of healing by the Northern Water Tribe, finding a sweet spot should be no problem at all…) Katara said to herself. Aang felt the girls' hands go deeper into his inner thighs. He gripped the table's cloth and felt sweat drip down his forehead as the girls slowly and gently ran their hands up higher. His breaths started to tremble, feeling Katara's and Toph's hands getting closer and closer to his groin. Looking all innocent, the two girls' smiles started widening.

"… I need to wash up. Excuse me." Aang quickly got out of his seat and headed to the men's rest room. Eyeing the three strangely, Sokka got out of his chair as well.

"Uh… I need to wash up, too. We'll be right back." Sokka headed off as well.

"I hope I wasn't too aggressive with him," Katara said quietly to herself .

"Come back soon, Twinkle Toes..." Toph whispered.

888

Aang brought his face to the sink and washed his face with more cold water. The young man tried to cool down and take a breather, slowly recovering from Toph's and Katara's very personal contact. He blankly looked into the mirror.

"This is getting way too intense," Aang told himself.

"You sure got that right. It's written all over you." Aang shifted his attention to Sokka.

"Sokka. Boy, am I glad to see you. You wouldn't believe what just happened back there." Sokka crossed his arms.

"Try me." Sokka said.

"You know that during the Firefly Festival, one must find a mate, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, Toph and Katara are … kinda putting the moves on me."

"They're WHAT?"

"… Both girls want me. Bad. Real bad."

A moment of silence filled the rest room. Seconds later, Sokka grabbed Aang in a headlock and gave him a good noogie.

"Aang, you lucky dog you! You can have TWO girlfriends tonight! TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!"

"SOKKA! I'm serious. I can't have two girlfriends!"

Sokka let Aang go and let his sense of humor slip away.

"Oh man. You _are_ serious."

"Sokka, I love Toph. I really do! Katara's nice and all, but I just get this special feeling every time I'm around Toph. Besides, Katara treats me more like a child than a friend at times. Like that time she compared me to Momo! It's going to be very hard to tell this to Katara."

"… I see. Well, it's cool with me, Aang. Don't wait for the last minute, though. You have to tell her tonight. If Katara finds out the hard way that you're with Toph, you're going to see a side of her you wish the world has never seen."

"You're right, Sokka. I'm going to talk to Katara. Thanks for understanding me."

"No prob, bro."

Aang was about to exit out of the restroom. Just as he a foot away from the door, Sokka stopped him with a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Oh. Another thing, Aang."

"Yeah, Sokka?" Sokka wore a smile.

"Bring Katara down gently. If I see her cry even slightly, you're dead meat."

888

"What do you think is taking those boys so long?"

"Oh, I don't, Katara. Maybe they're both struggling with a number two."

"You wanna give them a hand?"

"HELL no!"

Katara nearly finished her smoked salmon. Just as she was about to eat the last bite, a hand gently touched Katara's shoulder. Katara turned around to see who it was.

"Aang! There you are. Come on, finish up your salad so we can-"

"Katara. I need to talk to you. Alone."

"Sure. Toph, we'll be right back." Aang and Katara walked out of the restaurant. Feeling a bit anxious, Toph was about to leave her seat but Sokka gently sat her right back down.

"Hey! Where's Aang and Katara going?"

"Just sit back and relax, Toph. Aang and Katara need some alone time right now."

Sokka sat back into his seat to chow down on barbeque prime ribs. Toph felt a little worried about Aang and Katara being alone. A few seconds later, she smiled to herself and resumed eating her fried dumplings dipped in soy sauce.

(… Aang. I know you'll do the right thing…)

888

Aang and Katara sat at the edge of a beautiful fountain, lit up by many beautiful candles. Katara looked up to the stars and the full moon, feeling the night was just perfect for the two of them. Aang looked as though he was about to be executed. After a little fidgeting, Aang finally made eye-contact with Katara.

"Katara… there's something important I need to tell you."

"Hey. Why the look? Come on, Aang. You can tell me anything."

"… Really?"

"Yeah, really. Just get it off your chest and it'll be all over."

Aang didn't like the last four words Katara spat out. Aang gulped.

"Well, you see, it's about us. I need to tell you that-"

"I know, Aang. I know what you're going to say. I want to tell you that it's okay by me."

"You already know? Well DAMN! I didn't think it would be that hard. I thought you'd be getting all balli-"

Katara leaned towards Aang and kissed him. The Avatar just froze right where he was as he tasted Katara's kiss for the first time. The soft gentle lips gave Aang major vibes. Seconds later, Katara broke the kiss and gazed into Aang's eyes.

"It's very, very okay by me, Aang. You were going to say that you love me. I love you too, Aang…"

"Katara! I really wante-"

Katara kissed Aang again, only this time with more passion. Aang's heart jumpstarted as Katara embraced him and pressed her breasts into his chest. Feeling drawn in by Katara's personal invitation, Aang closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss even more.

_I love you, Aang. I know you'll do the right thing…_

"Katara… wait… please… please stop. STOP!" Aang quickly broke away from Katara's embrace and got up from the fountain. Feeling ashamed of what he just did, Aang felt he didn't have the right to even look at Katara. Confusion shrouded upon Katara as she tried to swallow in the sudden turn of events.

"Aang, what's the matter? Did I do something wrong? I didn't mean to come onto you so quickly. I'm sorry," Katara said.

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. Katara… there's someone else."

Hearing those three words, the entire world stood still around Katara.

"… Someone else? What do you mean?"

"I… I found someone else. I know you have feelings for me, Katara. I just feel it's important to tell you before it's too late. I… I don't want you hurt in any way."

The three words still burned Katara to the core. Looking at Aang in shock, a tear streamed down Katara's face.

"… Aang. There has to be a mistake. The moment you were freed from the iceberg, I always felt there was a connection between us. We did so much together! I always felt that someday we'd truly have a relationship!

"Maybe there's something wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Katara!" Aang finally turned around to face her.

"Katara, you'll always be my friend. Always. What you felt for me… isn't the same as what I feel for you. Please understand. I'm… I'm sorry."

Aang started to choke from his tears, realizing how hurt Katara was.

"I'm so sorry." Ashamed of showing his face to Katara, Aang transformed his staff into a glider and flew off into the night. Katara buried her face into her hands and cried, feeling her heart was shattered into a million pieces. The times they went penguin-sliding, the time she and Aang were lost in the labyrinth-like cave; all of her memories with Aang felt they had no meaning anymore.

Katara regained her composure and wiped away her tears. With a face of stone, she set her eyes on the restaurant Toph and Sokka were still in. The water-bending master started to stomp her way into the restaurant, cracking her knuckles.

"… I know who stole Aang from me. She's going down…" Katara rasp.

888

Sokka and Toph were having a good conversation about how cool it is to be blind.

"I really like the way you can detect who's lying and who's telling the truth just by feeling vibrations! That was so cool the way you did it back at Ba Sing Se."

"Hey, what can I tell ya? It's a gift. You know, Sokka? Maybe I can teach you how to enhance your other senses when you wear a blindfold and-"

Katara grabbed Toph by the back of her shirt and yanked her right out of her chair. As Toph hit the floor, Katara picked her up and slammed her into their table, shattering the legs underneath and making the table give in!

"KATARA! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Sokka asked. Katara ignored Sokka and gave Toph a very dark glare.

"You took Aang away from me. You. Little. BITCH!"

Katara picked up a vase full of flowers and prepared to smash it into Toph's face. Katara raised the vase high over her head and slammed it down with all her might. Toph rolled out of the way, letting the vase shatter into pieces. The earth-bender leg-sweeped Katara and had her eat floor.

Toph picked Katara up by the collar and slammed her into a wall. Katara felt the wind get knocked right out of her and slumped into the floor.

"I didn't steal Aang's heart. I earned it. Aang made his choice, and it's time you learn to accept it, SUGAR QUEEN!" Toph grabbed Katara again by the collar and smashed her right out the window.

"That, Katara, was STRIKE THREE! AND YOU'RE OUT OF HERE!" Toph shouted.

A tentacle of water grabbed Toph by the waist and pulled her out of the restaurant. The water-tentacle summoned by Katara dropped Toph right into the mud. Feeling betrayal and rage stabbing at her, Katara transformed water from a fountain into a pair of ice-swords. Holding the swords in her hands, Katara aimed one of them right at Toph.

Wearing a grin and wiping the mud off her face, Toph summoned all the mud right off her and summoned a pair of granite-hard tomahawks. Toph twirled her tomahawks and faced her opponent.

"You're not as soft as I thought. I'm gonna prove that I am the one Aang is meant to be with!" Toph said.

"It was a mistake to let you join our group. You're going to regret laying a hand on Aang!"

888

Alone at the top of a building, Aang sat cross-legged and looked down to his legs. Aang could hear all the people having a good time down below, but that just didn't matter to him. A moment later, Aang weakly looked up to the stars.

"There was no other way. I told Katara the truth. That's… that's all I can do. And no thanks to the truth, I ended up hurting Katara. I don't even know if I could ever face her after telling her that Toph was the one.

"I know I did the right thing. Then… why do I feel so terrible about it?"

A chain quickly wrapped around the Avatar's neck. Aang gasped for air and gripped onto the chain as he tried to fight free from the strangulation. The chain yanked Aang up in the air, letting other chains from the darkness wrap around Aang's hands and feet. The Avatar tried to move, but is arms and legs were completely restricted from movement.

The Dark Inferno ninjas emerged from out of the darkness, holding onto their very chains. Their mouths were completely masked, but their eyes glowed deep red, burning with bloodlust. The one behind him tightened his chain around his neck, letting his pale eyes burn with sheer power.

An unmasked ninja who appeared to be in his mid 20's came out of the darkness and faced Aang. Cail shook his head.

"How disappointing. I thought you'd be able to detect us, but it seemed you're too preoccupied with other things. Oh well.

"Lord Blackburn wants to see you. Nighty night."

When Aang's face met Cail's fist, everything before the Avatar's eyes turned into darkness.


	13. Awaken the inner warrior

The masters of water-bending and earth-bending continued to clash, ice-swords versus granite tomahawks. Toph and Katara felt their hearts pounding with bloodlust on their minds as they traded blows with one another. Their offensive was breath-taking to the crowd gathering around the battle, but both of their defenses were tougher to get through than a veteran goalie in an earth-bending soccer game.

The girls locked blades to tomahawks, staring into each other's eyes as they felt the electricity of anger and hatred surge between them.

"I… I thought you promised you'd never use water-bending on me ever again," Toph said.

"I… only keep my promises… for my friends. You are no friend of mine!" Katara answered. Howling with rage, Katara swung her ice-swords together and sliced Toph's tomahawks in half. Toph gasped and dropped her destroyed weapons, shocked from how well Katara's rage made her ice-blades tougher than steel. Toph backed away as Katara slowly closed in on Toph, ready to finish the duel.

Toph gasped and smiled.

"Katara, look! It's JESSE MCCARTNEY!" Toph screamed. Katara whipped her head to where Toph was pointing.

"Jesse McCartney? OH MY GOSH! HE'S SO INCREDIBLY DREAMY! WHERE IS HE? I SO WANNA GET HIS AUTOGRA-"

Toph stomped her foot into the earth and knocked Katara right in the jaw with a huge chunk of earth from underneath the water-bending master.

"SUCKERRRR!" Toph shouted victoriously. Katara landed on her back and rubbed her chin. Right in a flash, Katara got up and summoned the water from the huge water fountain and shot a barrage of ice-shards right at Toph. Toph raised the earth right in front of her and blocked the shards. With one push from Toph's hand, the earth-wall shot wave after wave of arrow-sharp stones at Katara.

Katara answered Toph's attack with her Water Octopus technique, bringing all the water around her and turning them into water tentacles. Her tentacles grabbed and swapped away Toph's firepower and grabbed Toph's ankle with one of her tentacles. With one wave of her hand, the tentacle lifted Toph off the ground and began to beat her head-first into the dirt. Toph tried to cushion the pounding, but the blows were starting to take a toll on her head.

Growling to herself, Katara felt a tear stream down her face.

"I trusted you. I thought you'd be a good friend. But you BETRAYED me! Aang was meant to be mine, and you TOOK him from me!" Katara screamed. As Toph was about to be pounded into the ground again, Toph finally cushioned the impact with both of her hands and summoned the earth to engulf Katara up to her neck with bone-crushing rocks, covering her right up to her neck. Taken by surprise by Toph's counterattack, Katara lost control of her Water Octopus. Groaning in pain and rubbing her head, Toph slowly got up and faced Katara.

"… I betrayed NO ONE! Aang was never yours to begin with. He didn't belong to ANYONE! Why can't you just accept the fact that Aang made his choice and move on?"

Suddenly, water from the fountain sprung all around Toph and transformed into a sarcophagus with ice-spikes inside, ready to close tight and impale Toph. Toph froze and trembled, trying not to imagine her blood mingling with ice. Katara looked straight into Toph's eyes.

"I will never accept it. Never…" Katara hissed. The bending masters were trapped in each other's elements. Katara was trapped in rock while Toph was trapped in an ice sarcophagus. Either Toph will crush Katara to death or Katara will drain Toph bone-dry. Neither bender was willing to let their traps down, seeing who will be the one to end a life.

"That is enough. This has gone on for far too long!" Disregarding his own safety, Sokka stomped his way into the battlefield and stood between the two angry girls.

"This fight of yours is done as of right now! Toph, let her go. Katara, you better do the same thing."

"But Sokka! She started it!" Toph said.

"I'm not going to let that stupid little-"

"DO IT!" Sokka commanded. Feeling a sense of pure authority from Sokka's voice, the girls finally deactivated their elemental traps. Seeing neither girls looking at each other, Sokka turned his attention to the crowd.

"Okay, you people. Let's break it up. Nothing to see here. It's over. Come on, people. Move it!" Sokka shouted. The crowd slowly broke away and left the three alone. Feeling a migraine, Sokka rubbed his head.

"Geez, what girls would do to get a boy. Who'd ever thought it'd get so out of control?" Sokka asked himself. Sokka finally turned his attention to the girls.

"I don't know what to do with you two. We're guests in one of the greatest cities in the world, and here you are acting like children. No, more like SPOILED BRATS! Have you two realized what fools you made of yourselves?" Sokka asked.

Sokka's words were almost muted out by the rage building between Katara and Toph. What once was their friendship is now crushed beyond recognition. The two female master benders faced one another, wearing faces of stone. Sokka swore that in their eyes, there was absolute hatred, a hatred that was much stronger than his hatred for Fire Nation. This made his pulse thump hard in his neck, but no matter what he had to do what he can to keep the peace between his friend and his sister.

A wooden staff shot straight into the ground and stood right in the center of Sokka, Katara and Toph. The three jumped away from the attack and got into combat positions. Toph and Katara got their elements ready while Sokka whipped out of a pair of boomerangs. The three finally pinpointed the location of their attacker: on the rooftop of a municipal building. High up on the rooftop was a ninja with pale eyes, folding his arms and looking down on the three warriors as though they were beneath him.

All of a sudden, the ninja disappeared into the night, seemingly swallowed by the shadows.

"Uh, guys?" Katara asked, looking at the wooden staff.

"What's wrong, Katara? I mean, what just- oh no…" Sokka got a good look at the staff as well. The siblings trembled with fear, knowing that something terrible just happened. Toph could tell there was something wrong with them, feeling the vibrations from the ground.

"What the hell just happened? Were we attacked?" Toph asked.

"No, Toph. We were given a message." Sokka took the staff out of the ground. When Toph touched the staff, her eyes widen in fright.

"It's Aang's staff…" Toph whispered.

"Aang's been kidnapped. We have to go Wing Shu. NOW." Katara stated.

888

"I don't like this. Not one bit. Why would Lord Blackburn want the Avatar alive? What is he up to?" Cail sat on a rock and pondered on, trying to figure out how in the world Blackburn thinks. He may be warlord of the Dark Inferno Clan, but there were times Blackburn's actions were not so ninja-like. His means to an end were more for a samurai to carry out than a ninja.

Cail may follow orders from Blackburn without question, but that didn't mean he agreed with them. There were times Cail felt that he should have been ninja warlord of the Dark Infernos, not Blackburn. Blackburn was an arrogant bastard to Cail's eyes, seeming at times to care more about his own personal needs than the Clan's. With himself in command, Cail felt he would truly bring glory to the Dark Inferno Clan and make it the most decorated ninja clan of all Fire Nation!

But enough about what would have been. He has to focus on now. The Dark Infernos in his squad were preparing to depart Zhang by air ship. Seeing that preparations were almost completed, he saw the unconscious Avatar dragged by a pair of ninja escorts. The Avatar's left eye was still reddened from Cail's fist.

"We're ready to go, sir," one ninja said.

"Very well. Get the Avatar on board. We're off to the Fire Nation." Many of the ninjas started boarding the air ship. Just as the two ninjas were about to drag the Avatar on board the air ship, Nightingale blocked their path.

"Let me take him on board. I will keep an eye on him." Cail raised a brow at her.

"Okay. The Avatar's captivity is your responsibility. Don't blow it."

"I'd rather die than fail my errands, Cail."

"You'd better be careful what you say, Nightingale."

The ninja prodigy named Silence emerged from the darkness and stood before Cail and Nightingale. Cail looked straight into Silence's pale eyes.

"It's about time you showed up, Silence. Did you cover all our tracks?"

Silence nodded.

"Good. Since no one has suspected of our presence, we can head off to Fire Nation without any worries. Let's go."

As all the ninjas boarded the ship, Nightingale took the young Avatar away from his escorts and started boarding the ship. Nightingale carried the youth in her arms, treating him as though he was a fragile as a flower. Finally, Cail and Silence boarded.

The fire-bending ninjas ignited their fire into the hot air balloons and lifted off the ship. The ninjas at the rear used their fire-bending to get the ship into motion. Slowly, the air-ship began to pick up speed.

No witnesses. No tracks to leave behind. Everything was going according to plan.

As Nightingale sat on one of the chests, she cradled Aang close to her and stroked his cheek. Her very heart melted at the very touch of the boy. She smiled as she gazed upon his beauty.

"Beautfiul. Exquisite. It wasn't necessary for Cail to hit you like that. Whatever Blackburn has in store for you, I will always be by your side. Always…"

888

"So your friend has been kidnapped by a ninja? You're sure about this?"

"That's right, Wing Shu! That ninja with weird eyes threw us Aang's staff! Aang would never leave without it!" Katara said.

"It HAS to be the Dark Inferno Clan! I recognize that scent anywhere!" Toph added.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO?" all three of them asked.

"Just calm down. All of you, please. At the state you're in, you'll never be able to save your friend. The Avatar is truly in a huge load of trouble. If my information about the Dark Infernos is correct, they must be taking him to the capital of Fire Nation. You must rescue him before it's too late!" Wing Shu said.

"You're right, Ms. Shu. Let's get on Appa and-"

"I'd clearly recommend that you don't take your air bison with you, young man! If the Fire Nation spots you on the Avatar's air bison, you'll be blown right out of the sky!"

"Oh, that's just swell, old lady. So how the hell are we gonna get in there?" Toph asked.

"If you want to defeat a ninja, you have to think like a ninja."

"… I see what you mean, Ms. Shu. The only way we can get in there is stealth and surprise. Oh man. This is a whole new game we have to play here," Sokka said.

"Yeah, you said it, bro. I'm not really the stealthy type. But we gotta try!" Toph said.

"Thank you for the information, Ms. Shu. We're gonna get our friend back no matter what!" Katara said. The three teens prepared to leave the Sacred Library.

(Just hang in there, Twinkle Toes. We're gonna get you out of there. We'll be together again. You and me…) Toph said to herself.

(I'll save you, Aang, even if it costs me my life!) Katara said to herself.

(Should I get the Playstation 3 or the Nintendo Wii?) Sokka asked himself.

"Children, wait! I need to speak to Sokka." After giving Katara and Toph an uneasy look, Sokka approached the beautiful Great Sage.

"Sokka, you are a strong warrior. However, with the current level you're in right now, you will get yourself killed the moment you meet the enemy. I can sense great potential from within you, Sokka. All you have to do is relax and close your eyes."

Sokka knew Wing Shu was telling the truth. He may be handy with a boomerang and know some hand-to-hand combat, but now he must face the Fire Nation's most elite warriors! Knowing he has no chance, he did as he was told.

Wing Shu gently placed her fingertips on Sokka's forehead. A bright blue light flowed into Sokka's head, leaving a nice sensation rush through his brain. A moment later, Sokka collapsed.

"SOKKA!" Katara and Toph screamed. The girls rushed to their comrade and knelt to him. When they were about to pick him up, Sokka's eyes flashed wide open. In a flash, Sokka leapt high into the air and landed on the balls of his feet with grace. Sokka performed numerous punching and kicking techniques that martial artists practiced years to perfect, and he did it with ease!

Sokka somersaulted to a statue with a sword and drew the blade out of the scabbard. Sokka swung the blade all around him, perfoming the most fascinating sword-dance Katara has ever seen. Despite her blindness, Toph could tell Sokka's fighting potential has more than quadrupled.

"Wing Shu, what have you done to my brother?"

"… I unleashed the sleeping warrior within. Now you truly have a chance in saving the Avatar," Wing Shu answered. Calm as the wind, Sokka sheathed his sword and slung it on his shoulder.

"… It is time to ninja in the night…" Sokka whispered.


	14. Blackburn's Plan Revealed

"…Oh, my head. Where am I?"

"Welcome to our secret lair, Avatar."

Aang got up and tried to move, but he realized the hard way that his arms and legs were chained to the floor. He was able to stand upright, but he was unable to throw a punch or a kick. If the room was made of earth, the Avatar would have them all in the palm of his hand. However, the entire area was made of pure metal. Not even the greatest earth-bending master can bend metal, or so they say. Blackburn sat comfortably on his throne and observed the Avatar 15 feet away and 10 feet below him. Cail and Nightingale knelt by their master's side, looking more like his obedient dogs than his lieutenants.

"So this is the Avatar Fire Lord Ozai wants destroyed. How peculiar. Why would our Lord fear this little boy so much?" Blackburn asked as he rubbed his chin.

"Remove my shackles so you can find out the hard way," Aang spat out. Many of the ninjas in the chamber let out a wicked laugh. Cail tried to hold his laughter in. Nightingale shot him a mean glare, telling him silently to shut his trap or else. Her glare made him regain his composure.

Silence didn't show a hint of emotion at all. Unlike the rest of the vermin ninjas, Silence stood at attention like a true ninja, not daring to treat the way of the ninja like a game for children. Aang noticed how Silence stood out of the rest.

That made Aang realize the quiet one with pale eyes was the most dangerous of all.

"You must be wondering why we captured you and kept you here for the past three days," Blackburn said. Aang's eyes widen in shock.

"What? I've been here for THREE DAYS? That guy hit me pretty hard, but not that hard!" Aang shouted.

"Oh, that. You see, the beautiful lady next to me gave you a fragrance to keep you out cold. That way, you wouldn't put up any resistance of whatsoever." Blackburn's words put a mean grin on Cail's face, feeling that Nightingale's secret fragrance made his job even easier. Nightingale looked away from the Avatar's eyes, looking guilt-ridden. Aang gave a very deadly glare to Blackburn, wishing he could bend the chains. Seeming like he didn't have a care in the world, Blackburn combed his hand through his long white hair, wondering if keeping the Avatar alive was worth it.

"Who are you and why am I here?" Aang shouted.

"My my. I thought you air-benders would have a more cheerful attitude than that. Well, I can't blame you for that outburst, being chained to the floor and surrounded by elite ninja warriors, ready to slice and dice you down on my command.

"Please forgive me for my lack of hospitality. My name is Lord Blackburn, warlord of the greatest ninja clan in all of Fire Nation. I'm the one responsible for pulling the name of the Dark Infernos out of the mud and making it the most feared clan in all of ninjutsu.

"Now here's the answer concerning your predicament. You see, I have something very special in store for you, Avatar Aang. I'm not going to kill you. Not yet, at least."

"Lord Blackburn! You said that the Avatar won't be killed. You promised me that the Avatar will be mine! You said-"

"Be silent, woman! One more word out of you, and I will rip your tongue right out of your mouth." Blackburn hissed. Nightingale trembled and looked down to the ground. She wasn't sure what's worse: Aang's death or feeling Blackburn's wrath. Blackburn turned his attention back to the Avatar.

"We're going to take you to Fire Lord Ozai's Royal Palace. In the Fire Lord's very throne room, it will be you… and me."

Aang's eyes widen. Cail frowned and felt his eye twitch.

"I challenge you to an Agni Kai. My fire-bending against your own, Avatar. When I kill you before the Fire Lord, the Dark Infernos' reputation shall rise like never before, and we shall truly be in favor the Fire Nation for generations to come!"

"Hey, wait a minute! I'm no fire-bender."

"Oh I have to disagree. You see, when you were fighting Chameleon back in the Head Bangers Arena, your fury bent fire with sheer ferocity, seeming as though you were about to burn down the entire arena! That makes you more than qualified."

"I won't do it. Even if I can fully bend fire, I'd never waste my time dueling with YOU!" Aang's words of defiance cut Blackburn like a knife. Blackburn leapt off his hideous throne and landed nimbly right in front of the Avatar. With very cold eyes, Blackburn unleashed a burst of fire out of his very hands in front of the Avatar's face.

"… I have ways of persuading you, Avatar Aang. One way or another, you will accept my challenge…"

888

Out on the dark muggy night, two soldiers were patrolling the streets of the capital of Fire Nation. Their uniforms would send fear to their enemies, but behind their masked helmets were weary faces that yearn to go home and go to bed. Nevertheless, patrolling the streets was a true necessity due to the godforsaken war.

"Just be glad our shift is almost over. I know working late night is a pain, but the pay is quite better than the first shift," one soldier said.

"Yeah, I know. But I miss the first shift. It's Friday night, man. We're supposed to be out partying, not missing out on all the fun!" the other soldier said.

Two teenage girls shoved their way through the soldiers and ran off, laughing mischievously. Seeing the two girls wearing black, the soldiers could tell that they were up to no good. Besides, tonight was Mischief Night.

"Hey! It's way past curfew time! GET BACK HERE!" The soldiers started running after the two young ladies. The two men saw them take a sharp turn into a dark alley. Hoping they'd meet a dead end, the soldiers drew their swords and took that sharp right turn into the alley as well.

A masked warrior cloaked in black spin-kicked the first soldier and right-hooked the second, knocking them both to the ground. The first soldier tried to get up, but dark warrior leapt into the air and drove his heels right into his skull, sending him to dreamland. The other soldier got up and aimed his sword at their attacker, but the dark warrior quickly knocked the sword out of his hand with his own blade and drove his heel into the chest, knocking him real hard into a brick wall. As soon as his back hit the wall, Toph touched the wall and used it to shackle his arms and legs. The guard was about to call for help, but the warrior's sword pointed right at his throat.

"Make one sound and you die." The soldier's eyes showed terror for the masked warrior as he looked into the adversary's blue eyes. His speed and agility didn't seem human, and his fighting skills were like no other. What really caught his eyes was an insignia on the headband of the ninja warrior.

It was the insignia of the Southern Water Tribe.

Toph and Katara stood side-by-side with Sokka, setting their eyes on the trapped soldier. Like Sokka, the girls were cloaked in black, but neither of the girls bothered to wear masks over their mouths.

Toph shot a deadly glare at the soldier trapped inside the wall. With one stomp, the earth brought Toph to the soldier's eye-level. Toph grabbed him by breastplate and pulled his face to hers.

"Now tell us. Where is the Avatar? Where is Aang being held? TALK!"

888

Two fire-bending ninjas crack their fire-whips on Aang's back again. Aang shut his eyes and let out a scream as he felt the hot whips slowly melt their way into his back. Grinding his teeth and feeling a tear stream down his eye, Aang fell to one knee. Seeing the Avatar kneeling before their warlord made almost the entire clan cheer in victory, eager to watch the Avatar squirm and beg for mercy.

Blackburn knelt down to the beaten Avatar and grabbed Aang by the chin, forcing him to look straight into his eyes.

"You can't keep this up forever, Avatar. Just accept my challenge and all the pain will stop coming for you. What do you say, boy?" Blackburn asked kindly.

Aang answered by spitting right into his face. Fuming with anger, Blackburn wiped off the spit on his face and had his own hand burn with fury. Blackburn prepared to grab Aang's face and burn his eyes out.

Nightingale grabbed Blackburn's wrist before he could burn Aang's face beyond recognition.

"My lord. Enough with the torture; it's pointless! If you continue torturing him like this, he won't be at his best. And you'll never know if you can truly beat him.

"I'll convince him to challenge you. Leave it to me." Many of the ninjas let out a lot of howls and whistles, imagining Nightingale bringing the young Avatar to her bed and making love with him. Silence, however, remained at full attention. None of the ninjas were aware of Silence turning away from Aang's torture like Nightingale did. Blackburn powered down and lowered his hand.

"… Very well, Nightingale. Do what you must. By any means necessary…" As the howls and whistles continue to echo throughout Blackburn's throne room, Nightingale removed Aang's shackles and slung Aang's arm over her shoulder.

"Avatar, can you hear me? Can you walk?"

"….."

"SILENCE! HELP ME CARRY HIM!" In a flash, Silence quickly ran to Aang's side and slung the Avatar's other arm over his shoulder. Nightingale and Silence slowly and carefully carried the Avatar away from the ruckus, hoping the damage the ninjas inflicted on him weren't severe.

"Don't worry, my dear Avatar. I'll take good care of you…." Nightingale whispered.

Next stop: Nightingale's bedroom…


	15. I'm On The Wrong Team

Sokka, Katara and Toph hopped from rooftop to rooftop, grateful that the moon hid itself in the dark clouds. To their surprise, Katara and Toph had a hard time keeping up with Sokka. The girls were quite agile despite depending heavily on their bending abilities, but Sokka's ninja reflexes had the girls doing their best in catching up with the loud-mouth of the Aang gang.

After leaping onto the sixteenth rooftop, Sokka stopped and raised his hand next to his head. The girls stopped at their tracks and took a breather from so many rooftops to jump from. Sokka, however, didn't need to take a breather at all.

"I sense movement. Get down." Toph and Katara did as Sokka ordered them to, using as much darkness as they could to smother them up. The three kept as quiet as a mouse, lying on their bellies.

Breathing in the nice spring air, the trio slowly peaked from the rooftop to see if there was any action going on down in the streets. To their dismay, they saw five squads of fire-bending soldiers, each squad made up of 10 men. Every one of them was armed with long swords, straight blades sharp enough to cut through concrete. The one with the biggest pair of horns on his helmet had to be the leader. His blade looked as if the demons themselves forged it.

"Now listen up. Two of our guards have been attacked. Judging from their injuries, we are dealing with real professionals. So be on the lookout! All five squads will separate and comb the city. And you are permitted to eradicate the enemy if necessary."

All five squads of soldiers did as ordered from the lieutenant. Seeing them disappear into the darkness, Sokka, Katara and Toph ducked their heads back and lied on the ground, hoping none of the soldiers would catch the slightest hint of their whereabouts.

"Damnit. That soldier we interrogated had nothing, and now they're on to us. This just keeps getting better and better," Toph said with a sarcastic but quiet tone.

"Well, maybe if you didn't scare that soldier so much, he must MIGHT have given us some answers. You should have stayed back in Zhang and let Sokka and I rescue Aang. You're becoming more and more of a liability to us," Katara said quietly.

"You really know how to get on my bad side, don't ya, Sugar Queen? This is not the time to piss me off."

"You're not nearly as pissed as I am, shortie! So why don't just shove it up your-"

"_That's enough!_ Have you two forgotten why we're here in the first place? Aang's our top priority, not this pointless bickering," Sokka whispered. Toph and Katara finally turned away from each other and shut their mouths.

Sokka was starting to lose his patience with the two girls. Before leaving for the Fire Nation, he thought of leaving both of the girls in Zhang and rescuing Aang all by himself, fearing the girls' grudge would hinder the mission. However, leaving Katara and Toph alone in Zhang would be disastrous. Not only would they try to tear each other apart, but they'd also tear apart the entire city while at each other's throats. Sighing to himself, Sokka will have to play referee just a little longer.

A pair of shadows leaped from roof to roof, two blocks away from the trio. Katara and Toph hardly noticed the shadows' movement and footsteps. Sokka, however, caught their movements in a heartbeat.

"You two stay here. I'm on the hunt. So behave yourselves while I'm gone." In a flash, Sokka ran off and went roof-hopping after the two shadows. Instead of picking up where they left off, neither of the girls made any eye-contact and continued to keep their mouths shut.

888

Two Dark Inferno ninjas were almost done patrolling the city. Neither of the young men didn't bother taking to the streets. They felt more at home on the rooftops, feeling that taking to the streets would seriously limit their movements. Both of the boys were confident that the soldiers wouldn't catch them at all; besides, they were too fast and too skilled to let some soldier-bum get the best of them.

"Hey, Kang. Why do we have to patrol the city? There's like thousands of Fire Nation soldiers out there doing that for us. Besides, all of Fire Nation wouldn't really consider us real security. We're nothing but vigilantes to the Fire Lord, and that makes us totally unpopular to the entire nation. This is pointless."

"Hey, I wouldn't question Cail's orders if I were you. After taking the Avatar to our hideout, Cail is taking extra measures to make sure that nobody and I mean NOBODY knows of this. I think Cail's doing the right thing, Liu." Kang took a gulp of water from his water jug.

"Cail may have made some good decisions for us, but he'll never measure up to Lord Blackburn! I mean, did you hear what he plans to do with the Avatar, Kang? It's crazy and exciting at the same time!" Kang shook his head.

"Man, I don't know. I mean, it's too risky. Lord Blackburn should really have-"

A boomerang struck Kang right in the skull, knocking him completely out cold. In a flash, Liu drew out his katana and eyed the entire with wild eyes. This took Liu completely by surprise. The Dark Inferno Clan was the most feared ninja clan in all of Fire Nation, and any other ninja clan who would dare attack the Dark Infernos would be like asking for death itself.

A shadow headed right for Liu, armed with a beautiful sword. Liu saw the shadow swing his blade and blocked it right on time. If he didn't block the attack, Liu would have ended up with only his left arm intact. The attacker with the Water Tribe insignia on his head-band proved to be relentless as he pushed his offensive on Liu. The young man and the unknown attacker traded blows, blade to blade. The attacker seemed to be the same age as Liu, but his eyes were blue. Liu started to feel sweat pour out of his forehead and soak up his mask.

With amazing grace, the attacker knocked the blade right out of Liu's hand. The attacker drove his heel into Liu's stomach and knocked his skull with the hilt of his sword. When Liu fell to the ground, the attacker kneeled down on Liu and placed his blade an inch away from his throat. Liu dared not move a muscle as he looked up the eyes of his nemesis with horror.

"Tell me more about your plans," Sokka said.

888

Aang slowly opened his eyes and realized he was lying comfortably on a very nice, soft bed. The sheets were made of silk, and the very bed was shaped like a heart. The Avatar sat up and looked all around. He realized he was in a very luxurious bedroom, which was quite contrary to the dreadful throne room of Blackburn. Aang felt something on his back. They were bandages. As Aang tried to reach for them, he winced in pain.

"You have to lie down, Avatar. You've been through too much." Nightingale stepped out of her bathroom and approached the Avatar, wearing only her short, black robe and drying her hair with a pink towel. Aang noticed that Nightingale had a pair of nice legs, and her robe was showing quite a cleavage. Aang blushed and quickly looked away. Nightingale noticed the way Aang eyed the beautiful brunette, and she liked it. The lovely ninja girl stopped drying her hair and tossed her towel onto a chair. Nightingale strutted towards Aang and nicely sat right next to Aang, sitting comfortably on the bed's edge. Aang's heart began to beat as he tried to resist Nightingale's sheer beauty, not to mention her nicely shaped butt.

"Are you feeling all right, Avatar Aang?" Nightingale asked nicely.

"… Yeah, I'm fine. Never been better. Can I leave now?" Aang asked.

"Not so fast, Avatar. You're in no condition to leave this very room. It's my duty to keep you in top shape and help prepare you for the Agni Kai with Lord Blackburn."

"I said I won't duel with him and that's FINAL! There will be NO Agni Kai!"

"Is there any way I can… change your mind?" Nightingale started caressing Aang's face with her lovely hand. Blushing and trembling, Aang tried not to look into her beautiful eyes. When he looked down, he noticed something very, very wrong. Eyes as wide as dinner plates, Aang slowly looked under the covers. With a look of horror on his face, Aang placed the covers back down and started holding onto it as though it's his only protection.

"… Where are all my clothes?" Aang squeaked.

"Oh, your clothes. I threw them away."

"You WHAT?"

"It was all torn up from the whipping you received, so I had no other choice but to dispose of them. I have a fresh uniform that should fit on you perfectly." Nightingale turned to her drawer next to the bed and took out a nice ninja uniform, which was made by the top designer of Fire Nation. The ninja girl placed the shirt on Aang's chest to see if it would fit on him. Nightingale blushed and smiled to herself as she admired Aang's slender muscles.

"It's perfect. With this on, you'll be the center of attention during the Agni Kai!"

"Hey, can I ask you something, miss…"

"My name is Nightingale."

"Yeah, Nightingale, okay. What are you doing with a bunch of thugs and killers? I mean, you're a really nice lady. No offense, but you just don't seem to fit in with this group."

Nightingale felt her smile fade away. She placed Aang's new uniform on the bed and placed her hand on his.

"I… I didn't believe I would be part of this ninja clan myself. It's a long story."

"Hey, I don't mind. At least my wounds will be healing while you're talking."

"You're so sweet. It's like this, Avatar. You see, my mother and father abandoned me when I was five years old. I thought they loved me, making me laugh and reading me wonderful stories about peace finally spreading throughout the world. But on my fifth birthday, my parents left me behind when they had to move to country side of Fire Nation. They told me that I would hold them back in starting a new life, whatever that meant. I begged them take me with them, but they got on their carriage and left me in the city.

"I never felt so scared in all my life. Alone, hungry, and cold, I did all I could to survive. For years, I had no idea what it was like to be safe and secure. I even forgot what it was like to be happy. When I was 12, a group of men trapped me in an alley. They all pinned me down and tore off my clothes. I'll never forget how they laughed as they watched me completely naked before them.

"Then it happened. Out of nowhere, a young boy barely the age of 9 attacked my would-be rapists with incredible ferocity. He was the youngest and most talented fire-bender I've ever seen. Two of them were beaten to a bloody pulp while other five burned to death. The boy was just like me: he too was abandoned and left for dead. His name was Kiba.

"From there on in, I was forever in his debt. As a matter of fact, I still am. Kiba and I worked as a team to survive in the harsh streets of this very capital. I had to admit: when I met Kiba for the first time, I felt much less afraid. He was like a little brother and a guardian angel at the same time. Whenever some sick predator approached me, Kiba would be there to protect me. And I would watch his back as well.

"Four years later, while we were looking for scraps, we found an injured ninja hiding in the shadows. When we tended his wounds, he promised he'll give us something in return. Boy, did he stay true to his promise.

"He offered us a chance to become members of his ninja cult: the Dark Inferno Clan. We had no idea what this clan is, but we had to take the chance to become stronger and not let anyone push us around anymore! The trials were hard to endure, but in the end we passed and became ninja warriors. I thought I didn't have what it takes to become a ninja, but Kiba always encouraged me to go the distance.

"Kiba was a different story. The warlord of the clan, Blackburn, saw great potential within my friend. His fire-bending training was much more rigorous than mine, and they really pushed his ninja training as if there was no tomorrow. Feeling that a true ninja warrior wasted no words, Kiba didn't talk anymore. Not a word, not even a sound. So he was given a new name: Silence.

"Three years later, I still owe so much to the Dark Inferno Clan. If it weren't for them, Silence and I would be still out in the streets looking for scraps to eat. I owe Lord Blackburn my life." Aang was at a loss of words from Nightingale's story.

"I don't mean to pry, Nightingale, but I just don't think you belong with those guys. You really have a good heart; I can tell. If you were truly a member of the Dark Infernos, you wouldn't bother bandaging me up and taking care of me.

"Nightingale, I learned from the monks a very long time ago that nobody owes anyone anything. You owe to yourself. I know they helped you get out of that rut, but they're nothing but bad news. Come with me, Nightingale. You don't have to be part of this nightmare anymore. Help me escape! Please," Aang pleaded.

Nightingale never realized until now how much wisdom and purity Aang has inside. Seeing how truly pure of heart the Avatar was, Nightingale felt she could never be worthy of having Aang's heart.

Then she thought about Blackburn. Lord Blackburn was the complete opposite of the Avatar. The Avatar was kind and gentle, desiring love and peace. Blackburn, however, cared only for riches and power. The thought of Blackburn whipping her dear Aang made Nightingale sick to her stomach. Nightingale smiled sadly and gave Aang a light kiss on the cheek, knowing she'll have never him.

"… Aang. I know I'll never be worthy of being your mate, but I will help you. When I leave the room, lock the door and stay inside. There's something I must do. I'll be right back." In an instant, Nightingale left her bedroom and closed the door. Hearing Aang locking the door from the other side, Nightingale felt her face become stone. As she headed down the dark halls to Blackburn's throne room, Nightingale let a six-inch, jagged blade pop out of her right sleeve under her wrist. A second later, the blade popped right back into place.

"You're right, Avatar Aang. There won't be an Agni Kai. That's because Blackburn won't live to be part of it."


	16. The Balance Begins To Shift

**Hey, you guys. Bleeding Wings here. I wanna thank you all for giving me feedback on my story. I'm very glad you're enjoying this romantic adventure. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to write another Avatar fanfic since I have very little time on my hands. If I do write it, it's gonna be rated "M" due to adult content and sexual content.**

**Back in ch. 15, I originally wanted to have Nightingale get into bed with Aang and try to make love with him. Aang would be so scared he would escape Nightingale's room without bothering to put any clothes on. Nightingale would prance after him, saying "You can run but you can't hide!"**

**That idea was pretty disturbing, even if I made this fic rated 'M'. Having a 19-year-old hot babe chasing after a naked 12-year-old boy. Bad idea. So instead of having Aang fight Nightingale off with a stick, I decided to have them become friends and make the brunette aid the Avatar. This story is gonna come to a close pretty soon. Besides, I have some original works to focus on. Can't focus on Avatar for the rest of my life, ya know?**

**Well, enough of my ranting. On with the story! Enjoy!

* * *

**

Eight ninjas were completely out-cold in the very tunnels they were supposed to secure. Two of them were embedded in the ceiling of the tunnels while another two were severely water-whipped. The other four were horribly beaten to a pulp. Katara, Toph and Sokka carefully treaded down the halls, hoping to find the whereabouts of their friend.

Thanks to one of the ninja's blabbing out in the city, the three warriors were able to locate the hidden passage to their dark lair and are now heading into the lion's den. In Sokka's mind, there can be no turning back now. Sokka held the torch for him and his sister, keeping the girls close to him.

"Hey, Sokka, I need to ask you a question. Who the hell gave you all that ninja gear?" Toph asked.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea."

"What? Wait a sec, Sokka. First you got new boomerangs by an anonymous person. Then you have all that gear meant for a ninja commando and you have NO IDEA who left them in your room back in Zhang? Are you messing with us?" Katara asked.

"No, I'm being honest. It's weird, but I got a feeling that someone we know is really giving us a hand in rescuing Aang, and boy does he know how to keep his identity secret. I wonder who gave me all this gear?" Sokka asked himself. When he looked to Toph, he could tell that she was hurting inside. Sokka decided to change the subject.

"Hey, kiddo. You feeling all right?

"Yeah, I'm okay, Sokka. Don't worry about me," Toph said. Her words told Sokka one thing, but her tone and facial expressions told him a different story. He could tell that she was worried to death, but he didn't bother to pry. Anger and sadness stirred in the young earth-bender as she and the others were getting closer to the Avatar's rescue. Her earth characteristics would tell her that Aang was as tough as nails, so there wasn't anything to worry about. However, her love for Aang jammed right into her heart like a spike. The master of earth-bending tried to fight off the tears.

Katara did the same, quickly wiping her tears away with her sleeve. Knowing that the boy she loved didn't love her back was bad enough, but knowing he's in the hands of an evil ninja clan made it even worse. Like Toph, she too had to be strong. For Aang's sake. For all their sake.

Ten ninjas stepped through the shadows of the walls and blocked the trio's path, drawing various weapons. Another twelve came out of the darkness from the other side of the tunnel. Then twenty more emerged. Then thirty. Then fifty.

Aang's friends were completely cut off from both ends. Every pair of Dark Inferno eyes glowed red as they drew out their swords and slowly approached the intruders.

-:-:-

Rippling with muscle, the shirtless Blackburn focused on his training for the Agni Kai. He could feel in his very bones that a match with the Avatar will be imminent. His heart beat with excitement as he pictured himself victorious over the body of the Avatar and gaining praise from the Fire Lord himself. Such an image intensified his training, making his fire-bending grow larger and burn brighter than before.

A beautiful voice sang a lovely tune throughout the chamber. As he drew his fire-bending to a close, he spotted two of his guards slowly closing their eyes and falling to the metallic floor. More of his guards started passing out and collapsing, like dead leaves falling off a tree. Blackburn's eyes began to grow heavy. He fell to one knee and both of his hands, struggling to stay awake. Seconds later, Blackburn fell to the floor like all of his fellow ninjas.

Nightingale entered the throne room of Blackburn, singing a soft and beautiful song. Thanks to her amazing voice, all of the men and women inside the throne room were completely out-cold. There was a reason why she was given the name 'Nightingale.' Her voice can tickle your ear and soothe the mind, making her fellow ninjas believe that her very voice has enchanting powers.

Seeing everyone in the chamber sound asleep, Nightingale stood over Blackburn, who was snoring soundly. The ninja girl in her robe knelt down and faced her right palm right over Blackburn's throat. The jagged blade popped right out of her sleeve, thirsting for blood.

"You're nothing but a monster, Blackburn. Hurting an innocent boy and humiliating him in front of the entire clan. You lied to me when you promised me that I could keep him as my own. Die."

Blackburn grabbed Nightingale's wrist armed with the blade and grabbed her throat. The stunned ninja girl tried to break free from Blackburn's hands, but his grip was as strong as iron. As Blackburn's eyes glow hot red with fury, he got up and lifted Nightingale off her feet by her very throat with one hand. Nightingale quaked in fear, swearing to herself for underestimating his power.

"You dare to betray me? I took you in as my own when I saw you begging for food out in the streets years ago, and THIS is how you repay me?"

"… I finally saw your true colors, Blackburn. You're nothing but a damn coward. A bully! You don't deserve to live, you arrogant-"

Blackburn winded up and threw her into a wall. Nightingale bounced off the wall and sprung herself back at Blackburn. As Nightingale aimed her blade at her incoming target, Blackburn stepped to the side and drove his fist into her stomach. Nightingale gagged in pain and felt blood come out of her mouth from the impact. Blackburn swung her over his head with his fist still in her stomach and slammed her body into the steel floor. Blackburn got up and spat over his shoulder, disgusted not only by Nightingale's betrayal but also by her fighting ability.

Two ninja guardsmen rushed into the chamber, wondering what the all the ruckus was all about. The guards were shocked when they saw dozens of sleeping ninjas and a badly beaten Nightingale cringing from the victorious Blackburn. Blackburn kicked her in the face and sent her dreamland.

"My lord! What happened here? Are you all right?" one guard asked.

"I'm fine. Wake the others up. And get this traitor out of my sight."

While one guard summoned others to awaken the unconscious ninjas Nightingale put to sleep, the other ninja guardsman hoisted Nightingale over his shoulder.

"Should we kill her, Lord Blackburn?"

"No. I have something better in store for her. Take her to the Dark Dungeon. If she won't fight for us, I can still make her serve the clan in a much better way…"

"Yes, my lord."

-:-:-

"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" Katara shouted.

Sokka, Katara and Toph gave the hordes of Dark Inferno ninjas everything they had to stay alive. All three of them fought so ferociously that they were beginning to create new fighting techniques for themselves. Katara only had a few jugs of water to water-bend, and Toph could earth-bend only to a certain degree since the tunnels were mostly made of metal underneath the earth. Sokka fought the hardest out of the three, using everything he has from shurikens to swords to sickles to his own fists! Many of the ninjas fell to their wrath, but more just kept coming!

"Guys! We have to get out of here! We have to regroup and think up a new plan!" Sokka shouted, impaling another ninja with his sword.

"NO! I won't leave Aang! We're this close to getting Aang out of this hell! I'm not going to turn my back on him! I WON'T!" Toph screamed as she earth-bended three more ninjas. One ninja came up from behind Toph and prepared to impale her with his spear, but Katara severely water-whipped the ninja away from Toph. Toph turned to Katara's direction, shocked from Katara's support.

Seeing that Katara was willing to put their grudge aside and accept their relationship, Toph smiled and nodded to Katara. Katara nodded back. More ninjas arrived to help their brethren, swarming the tunnels like ants protecting their ant hill. Toph knew that this time, there would be no support from her friends. But she kept her heart as tough as steel, refusing to give up to such vermin! Her name is Toph Beifong, the greatest earth-bending master in the world! Not even those ninjas could stop her!

A warhammer crashed into the back of her head. Her skull didn't crack, but her brain was unable to take such an impact. Toph felt dazed and fell to her knees. The last thing she sensed before losing consciousness was Sokka and Katara surrounded by dozens and dozens of warriors in black. They fought valiantly, but the odds were clearly against them. After that, her consciousness faded away.

Toph, the greatest earth-bender in the world, has fallen.

-:-:-

Wearing a Dark Inferno ninja uniform, Aang carefully treaded down the dark tunnels of his enemies' secret lair. Nightingale had been gone for too long now, making the Avatar worried. He wanted to escape from this nightmare, but he wouldn't leave without Nightingale. He had a feeling that something happened to her, and it was up to him to save her. He thought the air inside the tunnels would be thin, but to his surprise the air was fresh. That was good for the Avatar. Very good.

Aang spotted 25 ninjas patrolling the tunnel Aang was in, and they were heading right his way. Aang felt the urge to run away as quickly and quietly as possible. However, Aang had a good look at the head of the security squad. The leader of the squad was one of the ninjas who severely whipped him with his fire-bending. The other ninja who whipped him the same way was in his squad as well.

Aang decided not to run anymore.

Twenty-five ninjas carefully treaded down the tunnel, scanning for the slightest hint of the Avatar. Suddenly, a blast of wind knocked all of the ninja guardsmen off their feet and sent them tumbling down the tunnel. They warriors of the night tried to get up, but more wind smashed their skulls right into the walls and knocked them out-cold. Seven of them got up, but Aang closed in on them and picked up one of the warriors with his air-bending. Letting out a ki-yaah, Aang swung the warrior's body like a wrecking ball into the remaining warriors.

Only two ninjas remained: the two who whipped him back in the throne room. With dark eyes on the two men, Aang held out his hand at the downed ninjas. The two men grabbed their own throats and gasped for air, but Aang wouldn't let them have any. The two men fell on their backs and were choking from Aang's air-bending, feeling as if they were in a vacuum devoid of all air.

_Kill the leader, and the rest of the clansmen will lose their lust for your blood…_

"Now, tell me. Where is Blackburn? Tell me before I suck the life out of you…" Aang hissed.

-:-:-

Aang swung the huge doors to Blackburn's chamber. The chamber was so quiet that Aang could clearly hear his own footsteps. The throne room was completely dark but Aang knew they were hiding in the dark like cowards.

"Blackburn! BLACKBURN! Show yourself, you coward!" Aang shouted. All of a sudden, all the unlit torches around the chamber burst into flames, bringing light to the throne room. A hundred ninjas surrounded the Avatar, keeping distance from him for safety's sake. High above, Blackburn smiled to himself as he sat comfortably in his throne. The one with pale eyes was nowhere in sight.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Avatar. So… have you accepted my challenge?"

"I didn't come here for your stupid Agni Kai. I'm here to KILL you! You tried to kill my friends, and you hunted us down like wolves. If I have to kill you, I must! For my friends' sake. For… for the sake of my love." Aang said.

"Oh. You mean this little lady here?" Blackburn lit a nearby torch, revealing Toph shackled on a steel cross. Toph slowly shook off her daze from the warhammer and weakly lifted up her head. Aang felt his entire body chill to the bone, staring in horror at his beloved.

"…Aang? Aang, are you out there?" Toph asked with little strength. The young girl could barely sense Aang's scent.

"TOPH!" Aang screamed.

"If Nightingale couldn't convince you to accept the Agni Kai, then maybe THIS little lady can convince you," Blackburn said.

"Aang, what's going on here? What's the deal about this Agni Kai?" Toph asked. Aang trembled, realizing how low the Dark Infernos were willing to go. Aang clenched his jaw.

"If you lay one hand on her, I'll-"

"As a matter of fact, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. This girl is quite beautiful. Since you won't accept my challenge, I'll have fun with this cute little lady…" Blackburn got up and slowly stroked her cheek. Toph tried to face away from Blackburn, but being shackled to a steel cross rendered her completely immobile. Toph started to tremble, feeling helpless to do anything against Blackburn's approach. Getting closer to Toph, Blackburn started unbuttoning her shirt, causing Toph to scream.

"NO!" Aang screamed. Aang ran to aid Toph, but the 100 ninjas surrounding Aang chained him and restrained him from making any movement. Aang couldn't even move a muscle. Enjoying Aang's suffering, Blackburn brought his hand close to Toph's face and unleashed great flames.

"How about I set her on fire? It's been awhile since I enjoyed the scent of human flesh burnt to a crisp!" Blackburn shouted. The flames out of his hand intensified, ready to cook the earth-bending master. Toph's eyes widen in fear.

"OKAY! I'LL DO IT! We will… we will…"

"… say it!" Blackburn hissed.

"… We will have an Agni Kai."

Aang's acceptance to Blackburn's challenge had the entire throne room cheer for their master and lord. Every ninja leapt for joy, eager to watch their master face the Avatar himself and claim victory over him. The only one who didn't cheer at all was Cail.

Seeing his enemies at his mercy, Blackburn sat on his throne and laughed in triumph.


	17. The Craziest Thing Sokka Ever Did!

Down the busy streets of the Fire Nation capital, thousands of people young and old had the time of their lives. A variety of music spread throughout the metropolis, drawing thousands of people to dance in the streets and mingle with their neighbors. Usually, those from the middle class weren't supposed to mingle with anyone from the upper class. Today, such a rule was tossed away. Besides, the whole city cheered when they read the greatest news ever in Fire Nation history.

_**AVATAR CAPTURED BY HEROIC WARRIORS! DEATH OF THE AVATAR HELD AT THE FULL MOON!**_

The full moon was only three nights away. Three nights before the Avatar will duel to the death against Blackburn at the Royal Palace of Fire Lord Ozai himself. All the details from the description of the Avatar to the existence of the Dark Inferno Clan was given to the press, and the press was more than eager to spread the word to all of Fire Nation.

Two figures, however, were not happy about the news at all. Dressed in Fire Nation clothing, Sokka and Katara tried to mix in with the public. So far, nobody noticed their physical features of the Water Tribes, since they were too happy about the upcoming Agni Kai. To hide their blue eyes, Sokka wore sunglasses while Katara wore a nice hat with a 5-inch radius. The siblings wished the rescue would have been successful instead of taking a stroll in enemy territory that very afternoon.

"This isn't good. Not good at all. Now we have to save both Aang AND Toph. This just keeps getting better and better," Sokka said with a sarcastic tone.

"Nevertheless, we can't just abandon them. There has to be a way to pull it off," Katara said.

"Not too loud, Katara. We don't want to raise any suspicion around here."

"I know, Sokka. It's just that the Dark Infernos are much fiercer than we realized. We were lucky to escape with our lives. What's worse is that they're taking Aang to the Royal Palace. It'll be much harder to get into the Palace than it ever was to break into the Infernos' secret lair. We don't even know if Toph would be taken there as well."

"…Damnit. We have to think up another plan. Maybe we should-"

Sokka spotted a patrol of soldiers passing through the crowd, eyeing anything suspicious enough to be linked to the attack of two soldiers last night. Sokka and Katara swore to themselves when they realized the soldiers were relentless on finding their attackers. Sokka felt his legs run cold when the soldiers were heading their way.

Sokka had to think fast. If they don't do anything, the soldiers will take them into custody on the slightest suspicion and try to break them in their interrogation room at HQ. Running away would only guarantee hot pursuit from the soldiers, and they couldn't afford to run from the thousands of soldiers patrolling the entire city. The Water Tribesmen have no time to deal with them!

Sokka suddenly had an idea. The very idea had Sokka's heart beat like crazy and had his entire body felt a sudden chill. The young man gulped, knowing that it was the only way to thwart off the soldiers. Sokka nervously eyed Katara, hoping she won't kill him for what he was about to do.

"Sokka, are you all right?"

"Katara. This is the only chance to make the soldiers pass us off as no threat to the Fire Nation. Just do what I say."

"Well, okay."

Sokka grabbed Katara by the shoulders and quickly pinned her to the wall of a building. Katara gasped in surprise.

"Katara… kiss me."

"WHAT?"

"You must kiss me! Now PUCKER UP!"

"SOKKA, WAIT A MINU-"

Sokka pressed his lips into hers. Sokka closed his eyes and lightly brushed his lips into his sister's. Katara's eyes widen like never before in her entire life, feeling her hands clenching into a pair of fists. Sokka felt her body tremble, but he couldn't afford to break character. A moment later, Katara stopped trembling and slowly closed her eyes. Breathing through her nostrils more calmly, she snaked her arms around his neck. Sokka felt relief when he realized she was finally playing her part. To make it more convincing, Sokka wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her body into his.

The sergeant of the soldiers passed right by Sokka and Katara, not bothering to eye the Water Tribesmen at all. The other soldiers, however, couldn't help watching how the "couple" was making out.

"Whoa. Those two are really into each other."

"They should get a room before it gets real serious."

"That's enough, privates! It's rude to stare at a couple. Now let them have their fun and continue sweeping the city."

"YES, SIR!"

Finally, the twelve soldiers passed right by Sokka and Katara. Still kissing, Sokka opened one eye to make sure they were definitely out of their line of sight. When they were finally gone, Sokka broke away from Katara's lips and gagged. The young Water Tribesman grabbed a bucket of water from a nearby table and poured it right into his mouth. Not caring how drenched he got, Sokka gurgled and spat the water out, hoping to remove Katara's taste. Sokka dropped the empty bucket and slumped into the same wall Katara was leaning on, recovering from their kiss.

"Katara? I am SO sorry I what I had to do. It was the only way for the soldiers to ignore us. Katara? Katara, are you all right?"

Katara just stood there against the wall, frozen like a statue, standing as if she were hypnotized. Sokka lightly shook her as he held her shoulders.

"Katara, snap out of it!" Sokka looked away from Katara's eyes, ashamed for what he put her through. He wouldn't be surprised at all if she slapped him right in the face. He felt he deserved it.

Katara lightly placed her hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"Sokka, it's okay. You did what you felt was right. It was a good plan. Really." Sokka looked at his sister with complete surprise. No slap? No kick to the groin? Smiling, Sokka placed his hand on hers.

"Thanks, sis. Now let's find a way to rescue our friends."

"Right."

Sokka and Katara continued to walk through the unsuspecting citizens of Fire Nation, pondering how to pull off such a rescue. Little did Sokka know that Katara slowly traced her fingertips on her lips.

-:-:-

Blackburn got out his hot bath, feeling serene and calm from the hot water and the herbs that his body soaked up. Two lovely women giggled and dried up his body, admiring his amazing physique. After drying him up and brushing his hair, the third woman wrapped a towel around his waist. Blackburn smiled to himself.

"Everything is going according to plan. The Avatar will die in my hands in three nights, and the Dark Infernos will be rewarded with riches like never imagined! All of my dreams are coming true…"

"BLACKBURN!"

The steel doors to his bathing room swung open from a good kick. Fuming with anger, Cail marched to the nearly naked Blackburn and took out a paper from the press.

"Blackburn, what the HELL is this?"

"It's news about the Agni Kai at the Royal Palace. Aren't you glad we're going to become heroes to our beloved nation?"

"You arrogant, ignorant bastard. This is NOT the way the Dark Inferno Clan was supposed to work! All our missions were supposed to be carried out in the shadows. No one was to know what was going on, no one was to know what happened. How could you do this?"

"Oh, calm down, Cail. Why aren't you glad we're on the verge of gaining eternal glory?"

"Glory? A true ninja would care nothing about such things. All a true ninja should be concerned about is carrying out the mission. Period. If you didn't change your original orders, we wouldn't be having this pointless Agni Kai you stupidly brought out to the public. The Avatar would be already DEAD if Silence didn't deliver your new orders to us back at Zhang!"

Blackburn's eyes darted right into Cail's.

"Are you questioning my decisions, Cail?"

"I question your very leadership! I've always felt that Master Kosugi made a mistake of making you warlord of the Dark Infernos before he passed away. I should be warlord, not you!"

Cail's hands burned with fury, fire burning brightly out of his very palms. Blackburn took in a deep breath through his nostrils and gently let it out of his mouth.

"Ladies? If I were you, I'd stand back." The three girls looked to one another fearfully and gave their master the space he needed. Cail roared and attacked Blackburn with his burning hands. Cail shot a fireball at Blackburn's head, but Blackburn dodged it easily. Streams of fire flowed out of his hands and feet as Cail tried to attack him the power and grace of a true fire-bender. With another roar, Cail rammed his fist towards Blackburn's face. The fist made impact, whipping Blackburn's head 90 degrees. Cail smiled to himself as he felt his fist hit its mark.

That smile faded away when Blackburn shifted his head back at Cail, completely unharmed. Blackburn smiled to himself and felt hands and eyes literally burning with rage.

"Let me show you how it's done, you amateur…"

-:-:-

The sparring matches with Silence were proving to be almost as tough as wrestling with a platypus bear. To go one-on-one with Silence was suicidal. The ninjas thought that going three-on-one would make the fight against Silence an even match. However, facing three fire-benders still didn't prove to be a challenge for Silence. So they decided to have five fire-bending ninjas face the young prodigy.

Five opponents didn't prove to be a challenge for Silence at all. Two of his opponents were unconscious while another two were set on fire and had to be rushed to the infirmary. One opponent cringed before the young man with pale eyes. The last opponent shot a fireball out of his fist for Silence's head. Silence saw it coming and dodged it with amazing grace. Silence rolled towards him and performed a legsweep with a burst of fire. The young opponent fell on his back and eyed Silence with fear, awaiting his demise. Silence let loose a fireball, but it missed his head by an inch.

"The match is over. Silence is victorious!" the old referee announced. A man burst right through the granite wall and fell flat on his back into the training hall. Many of the ninjas were shocked from the sudden turn of events, but Silence immediately got into combat position, awaiting any threat that was to come. Face bloodied up and body badly burned, Cail weakly got up and put up his fists. Blackburn calmly stepped through the hole in the wall and faced his victim.

"Do you want to know why Master Kosugi chose me to be warlord? It's because my drive and desires have no equal. Unlike you, I have great plans that will truly have the clan rise to power! The Dark Infernos don't need a leader whose drive and ambition is as WEAK as a candle! They need a leader whose drive burns so brightly that the entire WORLD can see it!"

Blackburn grabbed Cail by the throat and lifted him right off the ground. Cail's eyes rolled back as he tried desperately to breathe.

"And whose soul burns with such ambition and desire? MINE!" Blackburn summons fire out of his hand and burned Cail's entire body, turning him into a living lantern. Cail screamed as the fire ate its way through his flesh and blood veins, making Blackburn's smile widen. Eventually, all that was left of Cail was a lifeless skeleton hanging from Blackburn's hands. Blackburn tossed the skeleton up in the air, leapt high and spin-kicked it, shattering it into hundreds of bone-pieces.

Blackburn dusted himself from the dirt and pieces of what's left of Cail. Three women from his bathing room rushed to their master and helped him put on a robe. All of the ninjas were shocked from the power Blackburn possessed, but Silence calmly kneeled before his master. Blackburn admired such courage from the young man.

"You did a good job in delivering the news about the upcoming Agni Kai, Silence. And your fire-bending abilities are like no other. Perhaps someday, you'll become warlord of the Dark Infernos." Silence kowtowed to his master.

"As for the rest of you: clean up this mess. Even if this wall wasn't destroyed, it's still a pigsty. Let's move it, people!" All the ninjas bowed to their master and got to work, from fixing the wall to cleaning up Cail's skeletal remains. While Silence and the others were cleaning up, another ninja came out of the shadows and was sharing words with him.

"Nightingale is ready, my lord."

"Excellent. For trying to kill me, I decided to make her our very own plaything. If she won't fight by our side, she can at least satisfy our… appetites."

Silence froze and felt his eyes completely widen.

"She's not hurt, is she?"

"No, my lord. We had her tied up in the Dark Dungeon so she wouldn't put up a fight."

"Perfect. I can't wait to ravage her."

"Neither can I, my lord…"

Silence suddenly felt a disturbing chill rush through his entire body. An hour ago, she and Silence carried the Avatar to her chamber. Now she's their prisoner? No, she's worse than a prisoner. Fear flowed through him like a virus as he dropped his broom and took a few steps away from the unsuspecting Blackburn.

"… Nightingale… no…." In a fraction of a second, Silence leapt into the air and disappeared through the shadows. Silence prayed to himself that he wasn't too late.

Here's yet another chapter from yours truly. I hope you all are having fun reading this tale of mine. One of you asked me if I'm going to write a sequel. I'm not really sure if I'll write one. If I do, I'll do my best.

Please leave me a review, okay? I really REALLY love having reviews, whether they're positive feedback or constructive criticism. Well, time for me to go. SEEYA!


	18. The Favor

Toph Beifong shivered from the cold air, shackled to the steel floor and hungering for food. The young earth-bending master tried not to show any loss of resolve as she heard a number of voices laughing at her, laughing at how helpless and weak she appeared to be. She smelled something delightful, something that made her mouth water.

"Hey. Are you hungry? Want some of my wanton dumplings? Mmmm good…" one ninja whispered. Desperate to survive, Toph lunged for where the voice was coming from and hoped to take what he offered her. Just as she was so close to grasping it, the chains stopped her at her tracks and slammed her to the floor. All the ninjas burst with laughter, seeing how she was only inches away from succeeding and grinding her teeth in pain.

"Close, but no cigar. Have fun rotting down here for the rest of your life." Something hot and slimy splattered into her face, causing the cackling laughter to worsen around her. Eventually, all the voices faded away and their footsteps weakened. Toph was all alone, alone with three dumplings sitting in front of her. Growling to herself and swallowing her pride, she picked up one of the dumplings covered with dirt. Toph brushed off the dirt with her earth-bending and devoured it. Still feeling hungry, she devoured the other two as well.

"… When I get out of here, I'm so gonna kick their butts. Aang must be suffering just as much as I am. No. He must be going through it worse. Much worse. Oh, Aang…"

A tear rolled down her cheek. Quivering, Toph covered her eyes and cried to herself. Trying to stay strong, Toph tried to hold back her tears and wiped her cheeks with her shoulder.

"Aang. I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I miss you so much…"

Toph remembered when they met for the first time at the earth-bending tournament. Toph and Aang dueled in the arena, leaving Aang victorious when he knocked her out of the arena floor with ease. Feeling her pride seriously battered, Toph angrily left the arena and left Aang empty-handed in finding an earth-bending teacher.

After a twist of fate, Toph decided to become his teacher. Toph had to be tough with Aang since he was an air-bender, knowing how passive air-benders are and always trying to find ways around a situation instead of facing them head-on. She remembered when she pushed a boulder at him and hoped he'd bend the boulder right back at her. But instead he dodged it. She lost her temper and scolded him for failing the lesson.

At the same time, Toph felt that she was the one who truly failed. The student shouldn't be the one to blame; it was always the teacher's fault. She remembered the time she learned earth-bending at the tender age of five with her private tutor. He never scolded her once, yet she succeeded in becoming an earth-bending master. Feeling she let him down, Toph decided to use another approach to unleashing the earth-bender within Aang: reverse psychology. She remembered how she pushed Aang into standing up to her by stealing his staff. He was a tougher nut to crack than Aang's nuts, but eventually Toph succeeded in helping Aang become an earth-bender.

The earth-bending lessons began to last longer than usual. At first, it was one hour a day. But as the weeks passed by, it became 1 ½ hours a day. Then it became two hours a day. She could sense Katara's disapproval of her earth-bending lessons being longer than the water-bending lessons. However, Toph didn't care.

She liked feeling Aang's vibrations. There was something about his vibrations that gave her goose-bumps.

Then there was that fateful moment. The moment Aang surpassed her in the art of earth-bending. She remembered how Aang carried her back to camp and helped her get better. She remembered how she and Aang clamped hands like true warriors, warriors ready to take on anything that dares to face them.

What she'll never forget were Aang's compliments. Every single word out of Aang's mouth. The more compliments he gave her, the more sensational Aang's vibrations became. Toph never admitted it, but the moment Aang stepped into the earth-bending arena to face her, it was love at first vibration. And Aang's compliments tore Toph's denial into pieces.

Toph yearned to hear Aang's voice again, yearned to be with him when they tear the Dark Infernos into pieces as a team. Yearned for his love…

"… No more crying. One way or another, we're getting out of here. And they're so gonna get their asses kicked! I'M GONNA BECOME THE GREATEST EARTH-BENDER IN THE WORLD!" Toph got into a pushup position. Feeling her heart beat like crazy, Toph slammed her palms into the steel floor. Then she pushed herself up in the air and slammed her wrists into the floor. Then palms. Then wrists. Then palms. For a long period of time, Toph slammed her wrists and palms into the steel floor. The pain was excruciating, but Toph could not afford to stop now. In order to truly rescue Aang, she must toughen herself up and feel that nothing, not even metal can stop her.

-:-:-

"NO!"

"Come on, Nightingale. Be a good girl and stop putting up a fight."

"Yeah, Nightingale. Now hold still and let us have fun with you."

"NO! GET OFF ME!"

None of the sickening Dark Inferno ninjas bothered to care about Nightingale's screams and tears. Four ninjas pinned her to the floor by holding her wrists and ankles. Smiling underneath their masks, the other three ninjas grabbed her robe prepared to rip it off. Nightingale shut her eyes and screamed to the top of her lungs; feeling violated the same way seven years ago. It was like déjà vu all over again. When she was twelve, seven sick pedophiles ganged up on her and tried to rape her. Just when they were about to violate her, a young boy rescued her and killed off all of her attackers.

This time, there was no hero in sight. Now there were seven deadly ninjas that wanted only one thing: her body. All the ninjas laughed and felt their mouths water as they gazed on her body and licked their lips, hoping to rip her robe right off. Just like seven years ago.

"… help me. Somebody… help me…" Nightingale whispered, feeling a tear roll down her face. One ninja straddled on top of her and took off his mask.

"Don't worry, Nightingale. We're gonna have a good time. You're gonna be the perfect slu-"

An arrow fired from the darkness and plunged right into his forehead. The dead ninja fell to the side and rolled of Nightingale. All of the ninjas released her and formed a circle, hoping to find their attacker. Nightingale held onto her robe and huddled into the corner. She trembled from what was about to happen, but she began to calm down when she heard something that scared the life out of her would-be rapists.

It was the growl of a wolf.

Out of the darkness, Silence leapt for his attackers and summoned a pair of fire-swords. The swords burned with fury, ready to take the lives of Silence's victims. Screaming with fury, Silence swung is fiery blades into Nightingale's attackers, reducing the first three to burning flesh.

Just like seven years ago. No, it wasn't. The boy she remembered was a gifted fire-bender with a heart of gold. Right before her eyes was a vicious rampaging beast that knows no restraint! The ninjas tried to fight back with fire-bending skills of their own, but were no use. Silence spin-kicked one, sliced the second and third with one motion, and decapitated the fourth.

Silence deactivated his fire-swords and saw all the bodies lie before him. Sobbing to himself, Silence screamed and unleashed a terrifying inferno at the corpses. When he stopped, there were no corpses left. Only ashes.

Silence gasped and turned his head to the right. In the corner was Nightingale, bringing her knees to her chest and quaking with fear. Jaw trembling, Silence removed his mask and approached her.

"… Nightingale…"

Nightingale got up and approached him.

"… Silence… Kiba…. KIBA!" Kiba and Nightingale ran to each other and embraced. The dirty hands of the evil ninjas were erased by Kiba's muscular arms around her body. Nightingale sobbed as she buried her face into Kiba's shoulder. Kiba couldn't help but cry as well, remembering how Nightingale got violated when she was only 12 years old. He promised he'll never let that happen to her again when he was only 9.

Seven years later, he thanked the gods he kept that sacred promise.

"Oh, Kiba. Has it been so long since I last saw your face?"

"I… I thought the Dark Inferos were supposed to be our family. How could they do this to you?"

Nightingale didn't answer. The beautiful ninja girl could not take her eyes away from the face of the ninja formerly known as Silence. It seemed like only yesterday that she last saw him as a handsome boy. Now she saw him as a perfectly handsome man with short brown hair and a well-shaved face. She could tell that by embracing him he has chiseled muscles underneath is uniform. As they gazed into each other's eyes, Nightingale caressed her hand on his face.

"Kiba, listen to me. You must help the Avatar! Blackburn is a demon that must be stopped at all cost! I can't help the Avatar, but you can."

"But Nightingale, what I can I do? I have nothing to offer the Avatar."

"Oh, yes you do. It's the only way to stop Blackburn once and for all. Please do me this one favor…"

-:-:-

The shackled Aang sat on the steel floor, alone in the darkness and looking at a plate of food. A couple of torches lit up the dungeon, but Aang couldn't feel any comfort from the flames. Showing no emotion, Aang kicked the food away and scattered it all over the floor. The Avatar gritted his teeth as he remembered how Blackburn put his filthy hands on Toph back at his throne room.

"Blackburn. You're gonna pay for what you did to Toph. You're gonna pay for you did to BOTH OF US!" Aang screamed, hoping Blackburn himself heard his very words. The Avatar wished he could rip the chains right off the floor and rip Blackburn's head right off his shoulders.

Aang wished he were a metal-bender. Toph may be one of the greatest earth-benders in the world, but even she couldn't bend metal. If she did know how to bend metal, Aang would have been more than glad to learn how to bend it. Feeling his hopes falling, Aang felt that the stories about the first metal-benders were only fairy tales.

The real situation was the upcoming Agni Kai. His hopes of survival and escape began to drop even further knowing that he hardly knows the basics of fire-bending and now he'll have to face a fire-bending master. Aang looked down to the floor.

"What am I going to do?" Aang asked himself.

A pair of pale eyes pierced through the darkness. The newcomer leapt into the air and landed nimbly right before the Avatar. Wearing his mask and letting his light brown hair exposed, the pale-eyed ninja darted his eyes right into Aang's.

"Why are you here? You want to torture me or something? Come on! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! DO IT!" Aang screamed. The pale-eyed ninja faced his palm right at the Avatar, letting it glow hot-orange. Aang looked at him square in the eyes, not willing to show an ounce of fear to him. Then he realized something strange.

The ninja wasn't focusing his fire-bending on Aang. He was focusing it on Aang's shackles. As parts of his shackles began to glow hot, Aang broke the shackles right off his wrists and ankles. Rubbing his wrists and ankles, Aang eyed the ninja surprisingly.

"What's going on here? What's the catch?"

"No catch, Avatar Aang. I'm here to help you."

"That's great! Just tell me where Toph is so we can get out of here."

"That is a poor option, Avatar Aang. If you try to rescue your friend right now, you'll both die."

"Then what the hell can we do? Why did you free me?"

"I owe someone a favor, Avatar. The Agni Kai is coming in three nights on the full moon. You only have three nights to prepare for the fight of your life."

"… What are you trying to tell me?"

Kiba unleashed incredible fire out of his hand, leaving Aang in complete awe.

"Avatar Aang. It's time for you to take the road of Hell."


	19. I won't sit back and wait!

Aang and Kiba have been sparring with each other with their fire-bending for three hours now. Last night, Aang was able to bend fire for the first time when he succeeded in lighting a candle with his own bare hands. From that very moment, Kiba sweated him out like there was no tomorrow. The ninja fire-bender was more than astonished from how incredibly quick Aang mastered the basics. The intermediate level of fire-bending was a no-brainer for Aang as well, mastering forms from the Breath of Fire to the Willo-wisps.

Kiba threw a kick to Aang's head with fire roaring from his foot. Aang dodged the kick and threw a palm-heel strike at Kiba's chest and tried to burn his chest with fire of his own. Kiba side-stepped from the attack and did a fiery spinning back-hand for Aang's skull. Aang hopped backwards and leapt back in the air with amazing agility, following his defense with a barrage of fireballs from his fists. Kiba dodged the balls of fire with his fancy footwork and closed the distance between Aang and himself. Growling, Aang threw more fireballs and increased the intensity of his attack, hoping to stop him at his tracks.

Seconds later, the match was over. Aang trembled and stared in shock into Kiba's pale eyes as he felt Kiba's hot fire-blade an inch from his throat. Smiling to himself, Kiba deactivated his fire-sword.

"Not bad, Avatar Aang. I've never met anyone who can learn fire-bending at such an alarming rate. You're doing very well in not only bending your own fire but bending fire from other sources. And your forms are very accurate."

"Cool! Does that mean I'm ready to take on Blackburn?"

"No."

Aang looked down and let out a little whimper. Kiba placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, kiddo. You're the friggin' Avatar. I'm sure you'll just fine." Kiba's positive words touched Aang's heart and had him wear a big smile.

"Thanks, Sifu Kiba! You know? At first, I thought you'd be some scary psychopath but you're a really nice guy. You're just as cool as Sokka! Can I call you big brother?" Aang asked. That question had Kiba raise a brow.

"Well, okay. Here's another lesson to learn, little brother…" Kiba threw a fist of fire right at Aang's face. Letting out a yelp, Aang leapt away from his attack and got into his fire-bending form. Kiba closed the distance and threw a fiery leg-sweep at Aang, which Aang had a harder time dodging. Kiba quickly did a jumping fire-spin kick.

"Don't let your guard down for anyone!" Kiba shouted. From there, the fire-bending sparring match resumed. The match was even more intense than the last one. Kiba knew from this moment on that he couldn't afford to go soft on his fire-bending pupil. The Agni-Kai was tomorrow night, and the Avatar must be ready no matter what.

(I know you're the Avatar and all, but what is it that's driving you learn fire-bending with such amazing speed? There's more to it than desiring to kill Blackburn and fulfill your destiny. What is _truly_ driving you to learn our art, Aang?) Kiba asked himself.

The ninja was grateful that Nightingale was out of the Dark Inferno Clan's lair. Feeling that she's out of harm's way and can take care of herself out in the streets, Kiba can fully concentrate on doing this one favor for Nightingale. After the nightmare is over, Kiba will do one more favor for his childhood friend.

But right now, his main priority is the Avatar. If Kiba can really push Aang to the limits, he can teach him the art of unleashing lightning. And if Aang can master that technique, Kiba will teach the Avatar a very deadly technique that he and he alone had mastered, a technique that could possibly surpass the lightning technique itself.

Aang was really feeling the burn. ((No pun intended.)) His muscles were really aching from Kiba's fire-bending lessons. After his fifth sparring match, Aang was feeling that Kiba was making Toph look as harmless as a pussycat. Remembering the pain and humiliation Toph endured by the Dark Infernos' hands made Aang more determined than ever in reaching his goals and freeing Toph and himself from this nightmare.

Suddenly, a question popped in Aang's mind.

(What's Appa and Momo doing all this time?) Aang asked himself.

-:-:-

Ever since the disappearance of the Avatar, the city known as Zhang has become the city that never sleeps. The gargantuan Black Steel Factory has been open day and night, showing not even a hint of slowing down. As the stars shine the night, sparks flew from the hammers of the two hundred steel workers as they worked their damnedest from the most complicated project ever given. The project was more than halfway finished. One bearded blacksmith rubbed his chin as he gazed on the metallic behemoth and then checked the blueprints. So far, everything was working out perfectly.

A huge bowl of molten steel got reeled from above and halted above a huge pit. The red-hot molten metal poured into the pit, preparing to be hammered into another component of the project. The rest of the city did their part as well, salvaging all the high-quality metal they could find in order to get the project completed.

The bearded man known as Mitsubishi nodded to himself.

"Excellent. We're doing everything according to the blueprints. I just wish we knew what the hell we're making in the first place." Mitsubishi said to himself. Momo flew high above the metal works and gazed upon everything that was happening. Momo elegantly landed on Mitsubishi's shoulder.

"Hey, boss. So far, the project is running smoothly. Can you at least tell us what we're building here?" Mitsubishi asked.

"You will know in due time, Mitsubishi. I don't have the time or the luxury to give you the full details on my latest invention. Our main concern is aiding in Avatar. Can you trust me?" Momo asked.

A slight pause filled between the blacksmith and the lemur.

"Of course we trust you, boss. You're the Avatar's friend and that's more than enough reason to give you our complete trust. You can count on us."

"Thanks, Mitsubishi. Just call me Momo, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Momo. You know? You don't look so good. Maybe you should get some rest."

"You're right, Mitsubishi. I'll be in my office."

-::-:-

Momo was writing more information from his restless mind, brainstorming on other inventions he could use to aid the Avatar. He may be in his office, but resting is one thing he just wasn't good at. As he rubbed his temples, Momo thought of his friend, Aang. He swore to himself when he felt he could have prevented the enemy from kidnapping his best friend. Momo was afraid of speaking, feeling that if he ever uttered one word Aang would be terrified and cast him away.

But right now, Aang's life is in danger. The lemur felt he must risk everything to help save his friend, even expose his intellect to the public. Momo prayed that the project would not turn out to be a failure. Failure was not an option.

A knock came from the window. Seeing the huge nose fogging up the glass, Momo opened it to greet his friend.

"Hey, little buddy. Why not come out and get some fresh air for once?' Appa asked.

"Appa, you know I can't do that right now. We need three more components to forge. We're really getting close to finishing my latest invention."

"Momo, you're not a machine. You're a living creature like the rest of us. You've done a lot already. Who forged Sokka the new and improved boomerangs?"

"I did."

"And who made all the ninja weapons _and_ the uniform for Sokka?"

"... I did."

"So for cryin' out loud give yourself a break! Now come on out of there and get some fresh air, will ya?" Momo sighed.

"… okay. I'm coming out." Momo flew out the window and landed on Appa's head. The air bison decided to take a stroll down the streets with his lemur friend.

"Thanks for helping me in building my invention, Appa. Your muscle-power is really getting the construction ahead of schedule."

"Glad to be of service, Momo. Hey, little buddy. How do you think Aang's doing right now?"

"I really don't know, Appa. It pains me to think of him being in the hands of the Fire Nation, especially when you learn about the Agni Kai tomorrow night."

"That's right. The full moon is coming. Good thing we got the news from the Fire Nation. Hey, wait a sec. How come they don't bother to hold the Agni Kai when the sun is up?? Isn't that when their fire-bending is at their best? It would make more sense for water-benders to duel under the full moon."

"I asked myself the same question, Appa. I heard rumors of how incredibly powerful Fire Lord Ozai is when it comes to fire-bending. I learned that when an Agni Kai is being held at night, they strictly hold it at the Royal Palace and nowhere else."

"Why is that, Momo?"

"That's because the Fire Lord is a tremendous source of their enhanced fire-bending abilities. Rumor has it that when the sun is down, the Agni-Kai duelists draw their power from the Fire Lord himself. That's why the Agni Kai's at the Royal Palace were so legendary."

Momo's words had a chill run down Appa's spine. Appa can understand how far fire-benders can go in improving their skills and making themselves more powerful, but making oneself a source for fire-bending was beyond comprehension. As a matter of fact, it sounded beyond reality.

"That… can't be possible, Momo."

"That's more of the reason why we have to help get Aang out of there, Appa! Even if Aang wins, Fire Lord Ozai won't let him out alive. Ozai isn't just a man. He's a monster, a monster with powers beyond our understanding."

There was a slight pause between the lemur and the air-bison.

"Let's not give up hope on Aang yet, Momo. He's the Avatar after all. He's tougher than iron, and I know he'll be strong enough to survive." Momo smiled.

"You're right, Appa. And when the time is right, we will finally speak to him and teach him the ultimate techniques of air-bending. And his destiny will finally be fulfilled."

"In due time, little buddy. In due time…"

**Hey, 'yall! Bleeding Wings here. Sorry I didn't update soon enough. Next time, I'll try to update every week. What's kinda getting in my way is this RTS game I'm so addicted to: Warhammer 40K Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. I'm really working hard in breaking my gaming addiction so I can write on a daily basis. Hopefully, I'll break my addiction and start on my next fanfic! And other projects as well.**

**I wanna thank you guys again for reviewing my story. This is my very first Avatar fanfic, and I didn't expect to get THIS much feedback! AWESOME! When I get the chance in writing the next one, I'm gonna really REALLY push the envelope. I'll do my best in making my fics as unique as possible. Live and love, everybody!**


	20. Let the Agni Kai COMMENCE!

The time has arrived. The full moon shined brightly over the Fire Nation, signaling the beginning of the most honorable event ever taken by fire-benders. Two warriors enter, one leaves with his/her life intact. The other remains in the amphitheater as a burning piece of meat. Some attend the legendary duel for the sake of honor and glory. Some take part of it for the sake of earning territory. Very few ever took part in the event for useless things such as love.

Thousands of people tried to barge their way into the Palace, hoping to lay witness to perhaps the greatest Agni Kai in Fire Nation history. Thousands of armored soldiers had to block their way for if they allowed the lower-class to enter the Palace, there would be no room left for anyone to watch the fight, not to mention the fact that letting in a lower-class citizen would be sacrilege. One desperate citizen tried to force his way through the soldiers and punched an armed guard in the face. For that, he ended up with a spear running through his throat and the back of his neck, slowly ending his life. That helped pacify the citizens and encourage some of them to go home. Sometimes, a few dead bodies can help bring order among the people. Just be sure the rowdy ones die before the people's very eyes.

A squad of soldiers passed through the people and entered the palace, relieved their patrol throughout a section of the city was finished. The armored men marched down the dimly lit hallways of the palace, heading for the cafeteria. In about fifteen minutes, the Fire Lord will make his appearance and watch the beginning of the Agni Kai, and none of the soldiers want to be there on an empty stomach. Besides, they need their strength to keep the Agni Kai under good security.

One soldier tipped the other one on the shoulder and thumbed to the hallway heading right. When the other soldier nodded, the two slowly separated from the rest of the patrol and sneaked off. Their pulse pounded as they hoped that neither one will end up getting caught. The soldier that gave the cue to sneak off slowly opened the door to see if anyone was inside the janitor's closet. Seeing that nobody was inside the very roomy closet, the soldiers quickly sneaked into the room and shut the door.

Sokka quickly took off his helmet, finally breathing in some good air. Katara took of her helmet and let her hair dangle down.

"Sheesh! How do these Fire Nation guys actually _breathe_ through these helmets?! Whoever was the designer of their armor needs to take a few lessons in armor-design," Sokka said. Katara smiled and started unbuckling her breastplate.

"I'm sure that with your intellect, you can make much better armor than the Fire Nation ever could."

"That may not be a bad idea, sis. We gotta get ready. The Agni Kai will be starting any time soon."

"You're getting no argument from me, Sokka."

-:-:-

Drums thundered throughout the Throne Room, signaling the beginning of the Agni Kai. Unable to contain the excitement, thousands of upper-class and middle-class citizens got up from their seats and cheered for the beginning of the most legendary event that separates the Fire Nation from the other nations. Fire erupted around the enormous amphitheater of the Throne Room, cold steel waiting to feel the feet of the contenders stepping into it.

Sitting comfortably on his throne, the Fire Lord sat silently and awaited the upcoming match, very opposite of all those who couldn't contain themselves. Despite being surrounded by his own fire, his face was still shrouded in darkness. Some people even think that his very soul could not be touched by the light. Many of the people prayed that Fire Lord Ozai would have his heart back. Maybe that way, Azula can learn to have a soft heart instead of a heart of steel. And more importantly, Prince Zuko could finally come home.

An old man in his mid 80's entered the center of the steel amphitheater. His physical features deceived all the thousands of Agni Kai fans, seeing how his body was stacked with muscles that seemed to nearly rip right out of his robes. Everyone silenced themselves when he faced them all.

"Children of the Fire Nation. Tonight, we shall have the greatest Agni Kai ever in Fire Nation history, an Agni Kai so unforgettable that it will be spoken about for generations to come! Tonight, one of our fire-bending warriors will not face a champion. Instead, he shall face the Avatar himself!" The entire capacity crowd rose from their seats and cheered with all their hearts, screaming and stomping their feet for the fight. The Fire Lord raised his hand. All of the people silenced themselves and sat back down.

"Let the Agni Kai commence! About to enter the amphitheater, he was our very own Avatar Roku from over 150 years ago. Now in the body of a child, he shall sacrifice his very life for the Fire Lord and give us the chance to truly make the world ours! Please welcome: Avatar Aang!"

Twelve drummers beat their enormous drums for the entrance of the Avatar. Two enormous doors slowly opened before the Fire Lord, who sat on his throne high above the amphitheater and all the people. Escorted by twenty Fire Nation soldiers, Aang marched through the doorway and into the Throne Room heading towards the fire-bending amphitheater people throughout the world spoke of. Wearing a cloak on his back, the young man's face was that of stone, showing sheer determination to win. Aang was expecting the thousands of people to boo him off and pelt him with food and bottles or whatever else they can get their hands on. Instead, they all watched him with silence and respect. All the soldiers lined up at Aang's corner, eyeing him for any attempt to escape. When the Avatar stepped foot into the fighting ring, the citizens clapped for the Avatar respectfully. The drummers stopped beating their instruments.

"Now for the opponent. He is the one responsible for the apprehension of the Avatar. He's a ninth-degree blackbelt in the art of fire-bending and ninjutsu. He is the warlord of a mysterious ninja cult by the name of the Dark Inferno Clan. His Agni Kai record stands at 52 lives! I am honored to announce the man who will bring honor to the Fire Nation and kill the Avatar. His name is… BLACKBURN!"

The drummers thundered their drums up once again, only with more passion and more power. The capacity crowd stood up and roared for their champion. Fifty ninjas leapt out of the shadows and landed right on the amphitheater. Standing in the center of the ninjas was their warlord, Blackburn. Like Aang, he too was wearing a cloak on his back. When the ninjas left their warlord and went to their master's corner, Blackburn smiled and faced the Avatar. Aang felt his eye twitch, yearning to rip Blackburn apart. The only one keeping those two under control was the elderly announcer. The drummers ceased. The two warriors faced one another, nose to nose.

"Now let's remember the rules here. One: this is a one-on-one match. No interference of whatsoever. Two: the only ways to win this Agni Kai is by knockout, by submission, or by death. There is no shame in admitting defeat if you cannot continue. Three: only fire-bending will be your weapon. Use of any other bending or weapons will result in an execution. Now, is that understood?"

"Crystal clear, old man," Blackburn said.

"I understand," Aang said, bowing to the old man.

"Very well. Now shake hands and fight clean." Blackburn offered his hand to the Avatar. Just when Aang was about to shake hands with him, Blackburn's hand fired up. Blackburn smiled, hoping to scare the Avatar into defeat. Showing no fear at all, Aang's hand unleashed fire as well and clamped it right onto Blackburn's. The two gripped each other's hand in a fierce handshake. Not only were they seeing whose grip was stronger but also whose fire was fiercer. The fire in their grip began to grow wilder and their grip grew even stronger. Aang and Blackburn felt their teeth grinding as they felt each other's strength.

The old announcer finally separated the two before they burn each other's hands to nothing.

"That's enough, you two. Now get back to your corners, clear your minds and fight your best." Not showing any objection, the two warriors turned their back to each other and headed to their corners. Suddenly, Blackburn turned around and faced the Avatar.

"Oh, Avatar Aang! There's one little detail the old man didn't bother to tell you…" Aang felt his brows form a 'V' and faced his opponent.

"We all know how fond you are with your air-bending. If you use your air-bending or anything else during our Agni Kai, all you're asking for is a big load of trouble." Aang's eyes widen to Blackburn's words. Two ninjas pushed their way through the other ninjas and dragged Toph right in. One ninja yanked her head up by the hair to show that Toph was still alive and well. Breathing heavily, Toph slowly opened her eyes.

"Don't worry about me… Twinke Toes. I'll. Be. Fine."

"**_TOPH!!"_** Aang screamed. In a flash, the ninjas picked up Toph and leapt to the wall underneath the Fire Lord himself. The two ninjas shackled her wrists and ankles to the wall and had her shaped like a cross. As they stood guard by Toph, the ninjas held their spears and pointed them right at her ribs. Ten more ninjas surrounded Toph and aimed their spears right at her.

"If you use anything other than fire-bending, we'll impale her and have her insides splatter all over the floor. Either that or I'll make her my little _plaything_…"

"You… you BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW! I'LL-" Aang stopped at his tracks. Kiba stood out of the other ninjas with his pale, intense eyes. Crossing his arms, Kiba looked into Aang's eyes and slowly and calmly shook his head. Kiba was right, Aang thought to himself. He must remain calm and focus only on the Agni Kai, no matter what else happens. If he was to win this, he must keep his composure intact and unwrinkled. Calming his breathing, Aang turned his back to Blackburn and went to his corner. Chuckling to himself, Blackburn went to his corner as well.

(I'm getting the both of us out of here, Toph. Just hold on.)

On opposite corners of the gigantic amphitheater, Aang and Blackburn knelt to one knee and rested an arm on it, clearing their minds and focusing on their strategies. Blackburn didn't know that Aang had a fire-bending teacher teach him how to master fire in such an alarming rate. However, even if Aang was on his way to become a true fire-bending master, he could not afford to be overconfident. Too much confidence could end his very life in a heartbeat. Aang was very grateful for Kiba's help. Formerly known as Silence, Kiba helped Aang master not only bending fire and lightning, but mastering the most lethal fire-bending technique of all…

-:-:-

"_Now, pay attention, Avatar Aang. You will be the first to learn a secret technique that I and I alone have created. You have to promise me that you will not ever teach this technique to a fire-bending hopeful. Will you make this promise for me?"_

"_Sure thing, big brother! I mean, yes Sifu Kiba. I promise I won't teach a soul."_

"_Very good. I call this the Pyrodium technique. When you master it, you can actually turn fire into a solid matter."_

"_Really?!"_

"_Yes. The fire-blades you saw me use during our sparring pale in comparison to what I'm about to show you. Now stand back."_

_Aang did as his teacher instructed. Kiba focused on his breathing and had his hands in front of himself, looking as though he was holding an imaginary sword. Fire erupted out of his hands and began to take the shape of a long stick. As Kiba let out a roar, the fire in his hands began to shine brighter and flare more uncontrollably. The fire in his hands flashed so brightly that Aang had to shield his eyes with his hands._

_When the brightness finally settled down, Aang took his hands down and opened his eyes. His eyes widen in shock and wonder. In Kiba's hands was a wicked, long black sword. The sword seemed very smooth and shaped like fire itself. As Kiba raised his sword in the air, the sword glow bright orange, looking as though it has a life of its own. Seeing an ancient, ten-foot tall statue nearby, Kiba ran past it in an instant. Aang eyes couldn't keep up with Kiba. One moment, Kiba was looking at the statue. The next moment, Kiba kneeled with the statue at his back, holding his black sword right out. When Kiba walked away from the statue, the upper half of the statue slid off the lower half and crashed into the floor._

_Aang was lost of words as he gazed upon Kiba's beautiful black sword. When Aang reached out to touch it and feel how smooth it was, Aang's finger burned as it was inches away from the blade. Aang yelped and put his finger in his mouth. Kiba laughed a little._

"_Sorry about that. Only the wielder can hold his weapon of fire. It's not a metal, but it's just as tough. In this solid form, I call this fire Pyrodium. Not only can it cut through flesh and bone, but it can also cut through the hardest of metals! It doesn't have to be strictly a sword. You can make anything out of your fire, from spears to zanbatous to even warhammers!_

"_Now remember: you must use this technique as a last resort. You got it, little bro?"_

"_Yes, Sifu Kiba. I will honor your teachings by winning the Agni Kai."_

**-:-:-**

Aang slowly opened his eyes and stood up, letting the black cloak fall off his back. The fire surrounding the Fire Lord not only lit up the Throne Room but also show how incredibly well-chiseled Aang's muscles were. Some of the young girls blushed and giggled when they feasted their eyes on Aang's physique. Blackburn got up and let his cloak fall to the floor as well, displaying his incredible physique for all to see. Seeing the cloaks fall to the ground has officially began the match, and the announcer hurried his way out of the battlefield. The Avatar and the Dark Inferno Warlord circled one another, waiting to see who will make his first move.

"Glory and honor is only one step away, Avatar. All I have to do is wipe you off the face of this world."

"You hurt my friends, and you put your filthy hands on my _girlfriend_! One way or another, I have to stop you. You're goin' down…" Hearing his very words, the shackled Toph closed her eyes and smiled.

"Give him hell, Twinkle Toes."

-:-:-

Katara was grateful to be out of her armor and wearing her ninja uniform again. Not only was she armed with four jugs of water, but she also sheathed Sokka's trusty sword on her back. Sokka insisted that she take the blade, feeling she couldn't rely on her water-bending forever. Katara showed no objection to offering his sword.

What Katara didn't object to at all was Sokka's new attire. Instead of wearing his ninja outfit, all Sokka wore was his underwear. War-paint was all over his nicely chiseled muscles, and the paint on his face made him look as though his face was that of a skull. While Katara was armed with a sword, Sokka was armed with five daggers on each of his thighs, a short-sword on each of his legs, a ninja katana on his waist, twenty lethal arrows and a longbow. Sokka felt that his uniform would only slow him down and he needed to be as quick and nimble as possible.

"Okay, Katara. From here on, there's no turning back. When we sneak into the Throne Room, we'll wait for the right moment to strike. I'll take the northwest sector while you take the northeast sector of the Throne Room. Just wait for my signal, okay?"

"Well… okay." Sokka eyed his sister strangely. Ever since he got out of his armor, Katara was unable to make any eye-contact with her brother.

"Are you okay, Katara? And why is your face so red?"

"It's nothing. Really. Let's go and get them out of here." Katara stated.

Sokka and Katara prepared to sneak out of the closet and head right into the Throne Room without getting caught. Just when Sokka was about to head out, Katara placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka? When we get out of this mess and head back to Zhang, will you promise me that you won't to the brothel?"

"Katara, couldn't you just ask me that some other time?"

"Sokka, just promise me!" Sokka sighed and held out his right hand.

"I solemnly swear that I will go nowhere close to that brothel or any other brothel outside of Zhang. There. Happy now?" Katara smiled.

"Yeah. Much happier. Let's go, Sokka." The Water Tribesmen snuck out of the janitor's closet and and treaded carefully down the hallways of the Palace. After memorizing a map from a fallen soldier outside the Palace, the siblings headed in the right direction towards the Throne Room. Katara turned her eyes away from Sokka and began to blush.

"I really like that new look, Sokka. It suits you well," Katara whispered to herself.


	21. Trump Card

Blackburn let out a flurry of punches and kicks at Aang, letting fire burst out of every kick and punch. Eyes widening, Aang dodged Blackburn's attacks, bopping his head left and right and using his footwork to avoid more attacks. After Blackburn did a spinning fire-kick to Aang's head, Aang ducked the attack and ended up behind Blackburn's back. Blackburn tried to spin around to face the Avatar, but Aang continued to stay behind him.

"You can't avoid me forever, Avatar!" Blackburn shouted. Blackburn quickly did a spinning fire-fist, forcing Aang to finally face Blackburn once again. Aang hopped away from Blackburn, but the ninja warlord quickly followed with a fire-fist to Aang's chest. Unable to have time dodging it, Aang barely blocked the fire and hit the ground. His arms felt slightly burned from blocking the attack, but he was grateful he was still alive. Panting, Aang got up and began to take his air-bending stance.

Suddenly, his eyes widen.

-:-:-

_Now remember, Aang. You're a full-fledged fire-bender now. It's not just about avoiding attacks and fighting back in certain angles. It's not only about standing your ground and facing them head on. Being a fire-bender is about becoming alive. Hold absolutely nothing back! Keep your eyes forward and let your desires drive you to your goal! LET YOUR SOUL BURN WITH LIFE AND EARN WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS! SEIZE THE MOMENT! TAKE IT! TAKE IT NOW!_

-:-:-

Kiba's lessons burned within Aang's very heart. Kiba was right. He's a fire-bender. Aang has mastered all of the elements, and right now the element of fire burns from deep inside his very soul, pushing away all the other elements that could get in his way.

Aang let out a roar and punched a huge fire-fist for Blackburn's face. Eyes widening, Blackburn barely dodged Aang's fire-punch, feeling some of his hair nearly singed. Feeling his momentum building up, Aang did a fire-leg sweep and quickly did a jumping fire spin-kick. Blackburn began to back away from more of Aang's graceful fire-kicks, shocked and amazed at the same time from Aang's fire-bending skills.

Grinding his teeth, Blackburn refused to be out-matched. Soon after Aang performed a spinning fire-fist, Blackburn dodged it and responded with a spinning fire-kick. Aang dodged it and did a fire leg-sweep. Blackburn leapt up from the leg-sweep and swung his leg down on the Avatar with a burning foot. Aang rolled away from Blackburn's enormous fire-stomp and cartwheel back to his feet with an arc of fire burning from his feet.

As soon as they were back on their feet, the Avatar and the ninja warlord of the Dark Infernos began to exchange fire-strikes all over again. The fans cheered for their lethal yet beautiful exchange of attacks, making their battle look just as lovely and graceful as a ballet or a waltz. The Agni Kai was not rigid and clumsy like an earth-bending duel. It was not gentle and weak like a pitiful water-bending duel. And it certainly wasn't fancy and cowardly like an air-bending duel.

When it comes to combat, no one on the face of the planet can fight with grace, power and ferocity like a fire-bender. Only a fire-bender can let out his fangs and make the art of combat so fascinating, no matter how much blood is spilled or how many bodies burn before him/her. The Agni Kai was the most powerful and feared duel in the entire planet, and all the other nations were too damn afraid to admit it.

Aang and Blackburn locked hands as their hands burned with intense fire. The two warriors felt their jaws straining as they pit each other's physical strength and fire-bending against each other, seeing who's truly the stronger. Both of the fire-bending warriors were surprised from each other's strengths, staring into each other's eyes with sheer tenacity.

Aang had never faced an opponent like Blackburn before. The Avatar remembered how difficult it was to face exceptional fire-benders like Zuko and Azula, but Blackburn seemed to be in a league of his own when it comes to not only fire-bending but the desire to erase Aang's very life. Blackburn's mind was much clearer than Zuko's, and what was scarier was that Blackburn's wickedness seemed to surpass even that of Azula's. Aang was grateful that at least Blackburn's fire didn't turn blue.

Blackburn hated to admit it, but the damn kid was by far the greatest opponent he had ever faced. In all of his previous Agni Kai's, every one of his opponents that questioned his powers burned to ashes in less than one minute. Five minutes had already passed away, and the Avatar didn't show any slowing down at all. The little brat has much more stamina than Blackburn thought! Even his strength was amazing! What was Aang doing all this time? Lifting a boulder on his back?

As a minute passed away, electricity began to spark out of Blackburn's hands. A surge of lightning surged out of Blackburn's hands and attacked Aang without any mercy. Aang screamed and fell to his knees. However, Blackburn refused to let go of Aang's hands. Smiling to himself, Blackburn continued to unleash more of the 'cold-blooded fire' into the Avatar's body, hoping it would rip his very soul to shreds.

"This is my time, Avatar! This is _my_ moment! You will die, and I will dance upon your grave! Any last words, boy?" Blackburn asked. Aang didn't say anything as he hopelessly struggled with Blackburn's electrifying onslaught. Grinding his teeth, Aang began to stand up. All of the fans were astonished from Aang's determination to live. Even Blackburn was taken by surprise from Aang's resistance. No one has ever survived the wrath of the 'cold-blooded fire' at such a dangerously high level.

"… Extreme situations… call for EXTREME MEASURES!" Aang shouted. Aang drove his knee right into Blackburn's groin. Blackburn ceased his lethal lightning technique, released Aang's hands, let out a yelp and held onto his family jewels. Aang grabbed Blackburn's head and gave Blackburn a vicious head-butt to his nose. The Dark Inferno warlord let a cry and clung onto his nose, feeling the pain as blood began to spill from his nose.

The elderly announcer stroke his beard to determine whether or not Aang will be penalized for using such attacks.

"I'll allow it," the old one announced.

Seeing him preoccupied with his bloody nose, Aang summoned electricity from his very hands and struck his hands into Blackburn's chest and stomach. The lightning from Aang's hands was even more intense than Blackburn's, causing Blackburn to scream like never before. So much electricity surged from Aang's hands that it caused Blackburn's hair to stand up and illuminate his very skeleton. Aang let out a war-cry and let out one last jolt. That jolt sent Blackburn flying and landing him hard into the steel floor. Panting heavily, Aang collapsed to the ground face-first.

"**_AANG!!!"_** Toph screamed. Shackled to the wall and unable to feel the floor beneath her feet, Toph felt a tear stream down her cheek. Her feet couldn't touch the floor, but she can still feel his vibrations as they traveled from the floor up to the wall. Toph didn't care how much more powerful Aang became. All she wanted was to feel Twinkle Toes' arms wrap around her body and his lips brushing into hers. Toph tried to struggle with her tears, refusing to show any weakness. She had to believe that Aang can do it. She must believe that her love can win the Agni Kai and give Blackburn the most humiliating defeat in Fire Nation history.

Besides, this was Aang's time. This was Aang's moment.

Aang breathed heavily and got on his feet soon after Blackburn got on his feet as well. Feeling their bodies wrecked with punishment, the fire-bending monstrosities glared into each other's eyes with sheer determination for victory. Feeling much of his energy returning, Aang began to put his hands in front of himself, look like he was holding an invisible sword. Fire erupted from his hands, beginning to take a certain shape.

Kiba's eyes widen from Aang's actions.

(This is it! He's gonna do it!) Kiba said to himself. Aang screamed as he put more focus on his fire. The fire began to shine brightly, causing much of the audience to shield their eyes. The fire in Aang's hands quickly transformed into a beautiful black sword, determined to end Blackburn's very life. The 4-foot-long sword glowed hot orange, catching everyone's eyes. This must be the very first time such a fire-bending technique was shown to the public. It even caused the Fire Lord's brow to rise a bit. With a face of stone and seeing his opponent 15 feet away, Aang aimed his mighty sword right at Blackburn's throat.

The only one who wasn't impressed was Blackburn. Wiping the blood off his nose, Blackburn began to chuckle. Then the chuckle burst into laughter. Blackburn's laughter was so maniacal that it filled the entire Throne Room. Smiling wickedly, Blackburn regained his composure and eyed the Avatar very dangerously.

"Ah, I see. You must have learned the Pyrodium technique. I didn't know you know how to do that. Now the duel is definitely going to get more interesting…"

Aang eyed him strangely but still kept his hand firm on the handle of his blade. Blackburn raised his hands high in the air. Fire erupted from all over his body, looking as though he was about to be consumed by his very power. Suddenly, the fire began to shine brightly all over him, shining so brightly that everyone had to shield their eyes.

Even all of the Dark Inferno ninjas had to shield their eyes from Blackburn's powers. However, Kiba was the only one who didn't shield his eyes at all. That was because he was too damn shocked from the sudden change of events.

When the shining light all around Blackburn was gone, all of the audience was awestruck once again. Blackburn was armed with a wicked 6-foot-long black sword, black armor, and a black helmet. His armor, blade, and helmet glowed just as hot as Aang's sword. The only part of Blackburn's body exposed to the public was his long white hair. Smiling beneath his horned helmet, Blackburn aimed his gigantic blade right at the Avatar's skull.

"/Did you foolishly think you're the only one who knows how turn fire into solid matter? For your arrogance, I will slice you down into pieces and serve you on a silver platter for the Fire Lord himself…/" Blackburn said through his helmet. Preparing for the worst, Aang held his Pyrodium sword close to him, waiting for the right time to strike.

Kiba began to tremble and bit his lip underneath his mask. Seeing that Blackburn's Pyrodium technique has vastly surpassed Aang's told him that there's a very good chance that the Avatar will die tonight.

"Aang. Oh no…" Kiba said to himself quietly.

Feeling her nostrils flare up, Toph began to feel her heart beat like mad.

"No matter the odds, I believe in you, Twinkle Toes. You can do it, Aang. Win, Aang. Win…"

* * *

**Phew. Boy, it's been awhile since I get to write duels like this one. This is the very first time I wrote a duel that involved fire-bending. It's much harder to write such a fight since fire's the most complicated element to write about. I'm pretty proud of myself for at least pulling it off. I hope I did all right.**

**So what do you guys think about the Agni Kai and the story so far? Please review this chapter and let me know what you think so I can improve on my writing skills. I'm working on making my writing a daily habit instead of wasting my time on television and videogames. Your reviews are truly appreciated. Well, time for me to go. I got a whole new life to begin. Live and love, people.**


	22. Out of the frying pan, into the fire!

The pyrodium blades of Aang and Blackburn clash, sending sparks flying from the impact. Aang's attacks and defenses were lighter and faster, but Blackburn had the upper hand in strength and durability. The capacity crowd couldn't make out who really had the advantage in the match: Blackburn's power or Aang's finesse. More sparks flew from their very swords, sending the audience on a roller-coaster ride of adrenaline.

With his sword glowing brighter than ever, Aang lunged at Blackburn and struck at the dark warlord with his quick and fanciful slashes. Blackburn tried to block as many strikes as he could, but he was having a hard time keeping up with Aang's confusing fighting style.

"I have you now!" Aang yelled. After dodging three slashes from Blackburn, Aang did a split and thrust his sword right into Blackburn's stomach. Aang hoped the blade sunk deep and ended the Agni Kai. However, what Aang really heard was a 'clang.'

"/… Foolish boy./" The warlord's armor was too tough for Aang's blade! Blackburn pointed his 6-foot-long sword down at Aang and plunged it right for his skull. Aang leapt out of harm's way, avoiding the mighty blade that plunged deep into the steel floor. Aang got back into his fighting stance while holding his sword in back of him and pointing his palm with his other hand at Blackburn. Smiling, Blackburn pulled his burning sword out of the steel floor.

Aang felt more sweat pour down his forehead, cursing at himself for underestimating his lethal opponent. When he created his 4-foot-long pyrodium sword, he was certain that the match would come to a close. However, when Blackburn created a pyrodium sword _and_ armor for himself, he felt his stomach sink and felt the match will end for _him_, not Blackburn. Every inch of his body was covered in pyrodium, impenetrable and burning hot. Attempting to grab him would be pointless! What was also creepy was Blackburn's voice. Every time Blackburn utters a word through his helmet, his voice sounded paranormal, somehow mechanical.

(There has to be a weakness!) Aang thought to himself.

The Avatar spotted someone up on the ceiling. She was dressed in black, and she had the most beautiful blue eyes Aang has ever seen. A split second later, the darkness swallowed her.

"…Katara?"

"/THIS BATTLE IS MINE!/" Aang woke up from his observation and saw Blackburn's burning sword slashing right down on him with amazing speed. Aang quickly held his sword up and took the full force of Blackburn's fury. Aang grinded his teeth and summoned all his strength to struggle with Blackburn's wrath. Blackburn's gauntlets trembled as he did his best to overpower the Avatar.

"/What were you doing, you idiot? We're in the middle of an Agni Kai if you already forgotten/!"

"Shut up! You're really starting to piss me off!" Aang responded.

Aang and Blackburn separated their blades and gave each other distance. The Agni Kai warriors panted for air, feeling the battle was seriously taking a toll on them both. Their mighty swords pulsed with power, showing how much power their masters wielded. Aang just couldn't figure out how Blackburn was able to perform the Pyrodium technique if Kiba mentioned that he was the only one who created and mastered it. Aang shook that question off his mind and focused on the fight.

Kiba finally realized how Blackburn mastered the art of Pyrodium: he spied on Kiba. While Kiba worked hard on creating the new fire-bending technique, Blackburn watched him from the darkness and mimicked his student's every move. Watching from the sidelines with the other Dark Inferno ninjas, the ninja formerly known as Silence grinded his teeth and clenched his fists.

"BLACKBURN, YOU JACKASS! **YOU STOLE MY SECRET TECHNIQUE!!"** Kiba screamed as he pointed the finger of accusation right at him. Kiba clamped his mouth shut and quickly covered his mouth with his hands, realizing what the hell he just did. All the other ninjas turned around and faced Kiba's attention.

"Hey! Who the hell disrespected our master?"

"Yeah, you're gonna pay. Nobody calls our master a jackass!"

"We're gonna shove you up a dragon's butt-hole!"

Kiba stood there innocently and pointed at the fat, ugly ninja.

"Oh, so it was Jun who disrespected Lord Blackburn!"

"Yeah, let's beat the snots out of our favorite punching bag!"

"What? I-I didn't say anything! Silence said it, not me!"

"Oh, yeah right. Silence never talks, remember? You can't fool us, Jun."

"No, honest! Silence really talked! He said-"

"Shaddup, ya Jack Black reject. WE'RE GONNA GO **300** ON YOUR SORRY ASS!!"

"WAIT A MINUTE! SILENCE SAID IT! IT WAS _AAAAAA_-"

All of the 50 ninjas jumped on the ugly one named Jun and stomped on their 'punching bag.' Some of them even leapt into the air and did some serious elbow drops on him. Relieved that nobody accused him of disrespecting their master, Kiba resumed his observation of the battle.

Aang screamed with determination and lunged for Blackburn once again, sword glowing with tremendous heat. Aang swung his blade with fury, not caring if he allowed any openings for Blackburn. Blackburn felt the blows from Aang's attacks, and every strike felt as powerful as a kick from a bronco. Then, something caught Blackburn's eyes that caused his heart to sink.

The ninja warlord's sword started to crack.

With one more scream, Aang spun 360 degrees and destroyed Blackburn's sword with his own, shattering it into a dozen tiny fiery pieces. The impact thrust Blackburn right off the floor and landed him hard on the side of his body. The audience roared with excitement, seeing the balance swinging into Aang's favor.

As his sword burned with fury, Aang held his sword up high and prepared to swing it right down onto Blackburn's head.

"It ends now." Aang stated. Aang quickly brought his sword down with blinding speed.

A pyrodium gauntlet stopped it right at its tracks and gripped onto it tightly.

"/Acutally, Avatar, it's only beginning./" Blackburn got up and ripped Aang's sword out of his hands, tossing it away like a toy. Blackburn back-handed Aang right in the jaw and sent his opponent flying in the air. Aang landed back on the ground and painfully rubbed his jaw, forgetting about Blackburn's pyrodium armor. Both of the warriors have been disarmed, but Blackburn still had the upper hand in the battle. Blackburn threw some fire-punches and fire-kicks at the Avatar, but none of them could touch them. Aang delivered a mighty fireball at Blackburn, but the fireball hardly scratched him. He had to find an opening in his armor or it'll be over for him!

Aang's eyes suddenly widen.

"The neck. THAT'S his weak-spot!" Aang said to himself. Aang spotted his sword and ran for it. Blackburn caught on for what Aang was running for and ran after him. Aang was getting closer to his trusty sword, seeing the blade only a few footsteps away. Just a few more steps.

Blackburn did a sliding leg-sweep and knocked the Avatar right off his feet. The evil ninja warlord grabbed Aang by the throat and lifted him off, letting Aang dangle helplessly in the air. Blackburn quickly put Aang in a fiery-hot bear-hug! The Avatar screamed as he felt the intense heat from Blackburn's armor burning him and crushing him at the same time. His arms dangled helplessly as his screams echoed throughout the entire throne room.

"/I will savor the screams and grind your bones into powder, Avatar Aang. You lost. The Agni Kai has decided its victor, and that victor is ME! Now be a good boy and die…" Blackburn tightened his bear-hug, hoping to hear Aang's spine snap. Aang tried to push himself out of the bear-hug, but the lethal hug around his waist was too strong.

Aang stretched out his hand to Toph, looking as though he was begging for her strength. Blackburn laughed.

"/Not even your girlfriend can help you now. What makes you think you can even-"

Aang's sword flew right off the floor and landed right into Aang's hand! The sword was out of Aang's reach, but it would never leave its master's side. Thankful that his blade had returned, Aang aimed the tip of his mighty pyrodium sword right at Blackburn's jugular vein.

"You talk too much." Aang plunged the sword right into Blackburn's exposed jugular with all his might. The warlord screamed and released the Avatar as blood spurted out of his neck like a leaked pipe, turning Blackburn's surroundings dark red. Aang drew his sword out of Blackburn's neck and gave himself some distance, preparing for any more of Blackburn's surprise moves. Blackburn's armor began to deteriorate and crumble into nothingness as Blackburn felt his life-force leaving his very being. Everything before the ninja warlord's eyes began to blur and darken.

As his life began to fade away, Blackburn fell flat on his back, causing a huge thud throughout the amphitheater. Lying in his own pool of blood, Blackburn weakly looked into the eyes of his nemesis.

"... Avatar Aang. Thank you."

"Thank me? For what??"

"I want to thank you for giving me something no one else was strong enough to give me: a magnificent duel.

"... What do you mean?"

"For years, I wanted to face the most powerful opponent ever. Many have faced me, but none of them could rival my powers. I… I am honored to face such a worthy warrior…"

Aang stepped through the puddle of Blackburn's blood and knelt to his side. Moved by his words, Aang looked down on his opponent not with wrath but with sorrow and understanding. Aang knelt down and placed his hand on Blackburn's.

"I'm… I'm so sorry for what I put you through. I will pay the price for hurting you, your friends, and others with my life. I've always prayed for the most difficult, the most spectacular duel in my entire existence. At last, my prayers have been answered. With my life ending by your hands, the Dark Inferno Clan shall no longer harm you in any way. I… I promise."

Tears streamed out of his eyes as he set his eyes on his ninja clan, the Dark Infernos.

"... I'm so sorry for not bringing you the glory you all rightfully deserve. I gave everything, yet it wasn't enough. But I do know deep down inside that there is a ninja among you who shall truly make the Dark Infernos the clan of legends. Silence... Kiba. You are the warlord of the Dark Infernos now. Make me proud."

Kiba closed his eyes and bowed to his master.

"At last, I can now rest in peace, knowing that I have finally found a worthy opponent. And the Dark Infernos are in better hands now. Farewell…" After whispering his last words, Blackburn closed his eyes and died.

Aang got up from Blackburn's body and looked down on it with sorrow.

"You weren't such a bad guy after all. You were just obsessed with finding the toughest opponent of all. What a waste," Aang said to himself. Four ninjas appeared out of the darkness and picked up their former master's body. The ninjas carried the body into the darkness and disappeared. Where they took the body, nobody ever knew.

"AANG! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!"

"TOPH!"

Toph leapt into Aang's arms and embraced him, finally getting the chance to feel his body. Aang dropped his sword and clung onto his love, lifting her off the floor and spinning all around as he held onto her. The two young teens laughed together, feeling victory and relief spiraling together so beautifully. Aang's eyes suddenly widen when he realized something.

The shackles and chains on the wall that restrained Toph were completely destroyed.

"Toph? How did you get out of your chains?"

"…Oh that. You see I-"

A clap echoed throughout the entire throne room. Aang and Toph looked up to where the clapping was coming from. It was coming from the Fire Lord. Eyes shadowed, the Fire Lord looked down on the Avatar and the earth-bender very displeasingly. The fire all around Fire Lord Ozai began to erupt as he stopped clapping.

"Magnificent fight, Avatar Aang. Since that useless Blackburn couldn't do the job, I decided to do the job myself.

"You will not leave this Palace alive."

Gates from all around the Throne Room blasted right open. Hundreds and hundreds of royal guards flooded the throne room and stormed right onto the amphitheater. Thousands of fans of the Agni Kai and the leaderless Dark Inferno Clan looked all around with confusion and panic, unable to ponder what to do next. The Dark Inferno Clan rallied around their strongest ninja: Kiba.

Armed with lethal spears and halberds, a thousand royal guards of the Fire Lord surrounded Aang and Toph with determination to end their very lives. The Fire Lord sat comfortably on his throne, awaiting the _real_ entertainment.

Back to back, Aang and Toph faced the soldiers. Aang held onto his trusty pyrodium sword while Toph wrapped her chains around her knuckles.

"Hey, Toph."

"Yeah, Aang?"

"Are you ready to deliver a whole world of pain?" Toph smiled.

"I was born ready, Twinkle Toes…"


	23. This is only the beginning

**A/N Hey guys. Sorry it took me awhile to get back into the writing business. I got hit by a serious flu, but I'm making progress in getting over it. I really hope this will never happen again. I really need to wrap this story up, so this will be the last chapter. Don't be surprised if you realize this chapter is quite longer than all the others. I might work on a sequel to the story, and hopefully it will be even better than this one.**

**It is a pleasure writing for all you Avatar fans out there. Hopefully, I didn't disappoint any of you. Nothing puts a smile on my face more than a satisfied reader. On to the final chapter!**

------

Ten more soldiers fell to the wrath of the Avatar as he swung his hot sword right through their spears and sliced all ten of the soldiers with one stroke. Their screams died away as they burned to ashes from Aang's pyrodium blade. Toph was wreaking just as much havoc as her beloved, using the entire amphitheater as her weapon. Toph slammed her palm into the steel floor, causing huge spikes to poke right out of the floor and impale twelve soldiers unfortunate enough to stand in her deadly path.

Dozens and dozens of soldiers' bodies lie around the Avatar and the mightiest earth-bender in the entire world. However, despite the warpath the duo unleashed, there were still over a thousand soldiers all around them, waiting to spill the heroes' very blood.

Aang and Toph panted for breath, wondering if either of them would ever make it out of the palace in one piece. The damn soldiers were like roaches to Aang and Toph: no matter how many they squashed, more and more of them keep coming! What gave them some hope in beating the odds were their new abilities. Not only has Aang learned the advanced techniques of bending fire, but Toph Beifong has achieved what seemed impossible: the ability to bend metal!

"It's a good thing you learned to bend fire, Twinkle Toes. Imagine that: the unstoppable force of nature turns out to be the boy I love. Hehe. I like that," Toph said, feeling Aang's back leaning on her own.

"You got stronger too, Toph. Much stronger. When did you get to learn to bend metal?" Aang asked, keeping his eyes on the fire-bending soldiers and holding his sword close to himself.

"I learned it two days ago. After hours of giving the floor a good hit, I finally get to bend metal to my own will."

"What? You mean you were hanging on that wall knowing you could break free? Why didn't you break out earlier? I might have needed a hand fighting Blackburn."

"Are you kidding me, Twinkle Toes? You did just fine against that son of a bitch. Besides, the Agni Kai was your moment to shine, not mine."

Aaang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Toph Beifong, I love the way you think. Ready to give them true hell?"

"Music to my ears, Twinkle Toes!"

Aang unleashed more fire out of his pyrodium sword. With one motion, Aang separated his sword into two deadly blades. Aang twirled his swords around, hoping to satisfy his swords' bloodlust. Toph clenched her fists, focusing on the chains around her knuckles. In a flash, Toph's chains transformed into three-foot-long razor-claws, giving herself an extra edge. From that very moment, it was a bloody nightmare. Aang and Toph killed and maimed enemies left and right, making their killing spree look like a beautiful dance. Without even thinking, Aang and Toph held hands and spun together to keep their enemies at bay, metal and fire spinning into a wheel of doom. More soldiers died where they stood, unable to withstand their might.

However, the dance of death from Aang and Toph could only last so long. Despite Aang's fire-bending and Toph's metal-bending, the soldiers of the Fire Lord were still strong in numbers. Not only did they use their spears and swords to try to take down the mighty duo, but they also used their advanced forms of fire-bending. Every time one soldier died, it seemed that ten more came in to take his place.

A line of soldiers unleashed massive fireballs at Toph. The metal-bender ripped metal out of the ground and slammed it right into the skulls of five soldiers, but she didn't sense the fireballs coming.

"TOPH!" Aang tackled Toph to the ground and avoided the fireballs. The deadly fireballs ended the lives of eight soldiers to make up for missing their main target.

"Toph, are you all right? You were about to get cooked out there," Aang said.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks."

"We're not out of the woods yet, Toph." Aang and Toph realized that despite putting up one helluva fight, the lovers were still hopelessly surrounded. The swords that fell out of Aang's hands deteriorated into ashes. Defying the odds, Aang let raging fire burst out of his hands. Seeing the two young teens on the ground, victory was only a few steps away for the Fire Lord and his men.

A huge shower of arrows streaked out of the darkness from above and impaled dozens of soldiers, causing them to scream for their lives before losing them. As dozens more arrows rain down on the horde, spears of ice rained down on more victims, adding onto the onslaught.

A figure in black leapt out of the darkness from the ceiling and landed gently nearby Aang and Toph. Aang and Toph couldn't believe their senses.

"KATARA!" Aang and Toph shouted. Katara opened her water-jugs and unleashed all the water around her.

"We're gonna get out of here, guys!" Katara announced. As hordes of soldiers lunge for them, Katara swatted them away with her water, using the water as though they were her own arms.

While Katara was swatting the soldiers away, Sokka drew out another special arrow and aimed it right at the horde below.

"Bye bye." Sokka let loose the arrow. As the arrow whistled right at its target, the arrow suddenly burst into 25 lethal arrows! All of the arrows hit their mark, digging deep into the heart, the throat, or the skull. Seeing more bodies drop, Sokka leapt off the ceiling and landed next to Aang, Toph and Katara. The Water Tribesman put up his fists and got into a fighting position he learned from Suki. Katara blushed deeply when Sokka was standing very close to her.

"SOKKA!" Aang and Toph shouted.

"Did you think you two are gonna have all the fun?" Sokka asked with a smirk on his face. The Aang Gang is together again! The fearsome foursome stood back to back, surrounded by the soldiers of Fire Lord Ozai. The Fire Lord sat comfortably on his throne, watching the four teenagers struggling with the odds.

"Oh yeah. I think this is yours." Sokka tossed to Aang his air-bending staff, letting it fly in the air. With a smile as big as Ba Sing Se, Aang leapt into the air and grabbed the staff. With a huge battle cry, Aang descended into 50 fire-bending warriors and blasted them away with a huge gust of wind. From that very moment, Toph, Sokka and Katara got back into the fray! Fire, water, metal, air and fists collided into the wrath of the Fire Nation's finest.

Aang, Katara and Toph were able to hold their own, but Sokka had to fight them off like a heartless rampaging beast. What he lacked in bending, he made up with swords, shurikens, fists, tooth and nail! Sokka punched one soldier, spin-kicked the next three, elbow-smashed the fifth one's skull, palm-heel-struck the sixth soldier, judo-threw the seventh into three fire-benders, and mule-kicked the eighth right in the face. After getting up from the devastating mule kick, Sokka drew out his twin swords from his legs and killed six more soldiers in front of him.

A fire-bender unleashed a huge fireball at the unsuspecting Water Tribesman. Sokka turned to see the fireball heading right his way, but he had no time to dodge or block the attack! Suddenly, a dark figure rose from the shadows and took the impact of the fireball. The fireball exploded upon impact, causing Sokka to shield his eyes. When the smoke settled, Sokka couldn't believe his eyes.

The pale-eyed Dark Inferno warlord named Kiba stood between the fire-bending soldier and Sokka, hand smoking harmlessly from the fireball that was meant to kill Sokka. His pale eyes formed a pair of slits.

"… Let me show you how it's done." Kiba shot a huge gust of fire out of his hand, incinerating the soldier and scores of his men right behind him. Many of the soldiers stood there completely puzzled, wondering why a fire-bending ninja would attack a fellow fire-bender. That bewilderment was all Kiba needed. In a split second, about 50 ninjas emerged from the shadows and killed the distracted soldiers with true precision, either by blade or by fire.

"DEFEND THE AVATAR HIS FRIENDS WITH YOUR LIVES!" Kiba commanded.

"FOR THE DARK INFERNO CLAN!" the entire clan screamed.

"We… we've been betrayed. Kill the traitors! DESTROY THEM AL-" Kiba silenced a sergeant by impaling him with his sword and kicking the body away to get his sword back. The deadly battle continued, ninjas letting out just as much ferocity as the one they've sworn to protect. Fire clashed with fire, ninja versus soldier. Kiba drove his fists into two soldiers' solar plexuses and smashed their skulls together. After knocking them both out, he summoned a pyrodium staff and fought on. Kiba prayed to himself that none of his fellow ninjas would die.

After twelve more minutes of the bloody battle, Aang, Toph, Sokka, Katara, Kiba and the Dark Inferno Clan were completely surrounded. Hundreds of bodies surrounded the proud warriors of hope, but that very hope was waning away as hordes of soldiers aimed their deadly weapons upon the heroes and those willing to betray their very nation. The soldiers began to close the gap between themselves and their adversaries, thousands strong.

"Kiba. Why? Why did you decide to help us? You didn't have to get involved, you know?" Aang asked.

"I got involved ever since I made you my fire-bending student. Nightingale wanted me to help you learn to bend fire, and there was no way I could turn her down. I've seen how corrupt the Dark Infernos were becoming over the years. It's time I turned the Clan around and make it work for the right purposes. The Fire Lord is tainted with corruption, and it's time we left his influence! You are our only hope in bringing balance back to our world, and it is our duty to keep you alive. If bringing balance back to the world means the annihilation of the Fire Lord, SO BE IT!" Kiba announced, letting his eyes flare up with fury.

"Nice speech, but that's not gonna help us get out of this mess!" Sokka said.

"Where are the rest of the Dark Infernos?" Toph asked.

"Yeah. There should a lot more of you guys," Katara added.

"The rest of the Clan is escorting the civilians out of the palace. We had a bad feeling that something terrible is about to happen, so rest of the clan is helping all the civilians escape before it's too late. I gave out the order as soon as the Agni Kai was over," Kiba said. Aang wondered what happened to all the fans watching the Agni Kai. The evacuation from the Dark Infernos further won Aang's trust.

"Nice job, but how the hell are we gonna get out of here?" Sokka asked.

An enormous explosion shook the entire palace. Hundreds and hundreds of the Fire Lord's soldiers were knocked off their feet from the explosion and ended up piling up on each other. Aang and Toph instinctively held onto each other. Katara was about to fall flat on her back, but Sokka caught her by the waist. Katara quickly wrapped her arms around Sokka's neck to further prevent the fall. Being a good big brother, Sokka helped her up.

"Katara, are you okay?" Sokka asked.

"I… I think so," Katara said, gazing into his blue eyes.

"Uh, Katara? You can let go of me now." Katara blushed and quickly removed her arms from her brother. Katara turned away from Sokka and blushed even deeper, nervously rubbing her arm.

"What the hell just happened?" Toph asked.

"I haven't the faintest clue," Aang responded.

-:-:-

"RELOAD!" Momo commanded.

Thirty miles east of Zhang, Momo, Appa and the blacksmiths prepared another huge shell for Momo's latest invention: the cannon! Weighing 85 tons, the behemoth had enough firepower to blast 200 feet of pure concrete into rubble! Momo didn't test it on steel, though, but he had faith in his genius and believed that not even the hardest of metal can withstand the roaring beast. Not only was the cannon gifted with power, but also with incredible trajectory.

Appa rolled another fresh shell towards the cannon, nicknamed by Momo as the Dragon Killah. Ten blacksmiths lifted the enormous shell and placed it right into the gigantic chamber. Mr. Mitsubishi closed the chamber.

"Reloading complete, boss!" Mitsubishi called out.

"Good job, boys. We have to turn the cannon just a little bit. I know this is the hardest task you all have ever done, but we have to help the Avatar by any means necessary! If we lose Aang, all will be lost! Continue providing cover-fire!" Momo said.

Sitting on the back of the cannon, Momo grabbed his binoculars and stuck it right into his enormous eyes. The highly advanced binoculars brought the Fire Nation's Royal Palace right to his eyes, despite being dozens of miles away. He smiled when he saw a part of the palace up in smoke.

"Okay, boys. Crank the cannon up by 15 degrees. More. Just a little more. Okay, stop! Now turn the Dragon Killah just 10 degrees to the left. Steady, steady, steady, STOP! Perfect!" Momo said.

"Prepare to fire the Dragon Killah!" Appa commanded. Appa and all the blacksmiths held onto their helmets, turned away from the cannon and ducked. Wearing a much smaller green helmet, Momo held onto the cannon for support from the next upcoming round. Mitsubishi grabbed the rope and waited for Momo's command.

"FFFFIIYAAAAHHHH!!!" Momo screamed, holding onto the binoculars and pointing at their main target. Mitsubishi pulled the rope. The cannon fired another round, causing all of the earth around it to shake to its might. The enormous fireball flew right for its target, leaving behind a huge trail of smoke.

-:-:-

Another explosion rocked the Royal Palace, blasting a hole the size of a mansion right in the walls of the Throne Room! The entire amphitheater transformed from a battlefield into a home for pandemonium! The captains of many squads of soldiers barked out many orders, ranging from defending the outer perimeters from the unknown attacks to protecting the Fire Lord. Seeing the soldiers in complete disorder, Aang finally saw their chance.

"That explosion ripped wide open an exit for us! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Aang screamed. A split second later, the Avatar and all of his friends ran right for the exit. Many of the soldiers decided to ignore the Avatar and his allies and focus more on what the hell was attacking the Royal Palace with such ferocity. Those who tried to stop the Aang gang and the Dark Inferno Clan ended up either burned alive, crushed by the metal around them, killed by ice blades, or smashed by a really mean fist.

Many of the Dark Infernos leapt right through the hole and managed to get out of the Palace. When Aang, Toph and Katara were about to jump out of through the wide hole, they realized someone wasn't with them.

Sokka wasn't leaving.

"Sokka, what are you doing? We have to leave now!" Katara shouted.

Sokka drew out his arrow and placed it nicely into his bow. He aimed his arrow right at the Fire Lord's skull from far away.

"Aang isn't going to finish off the Fire Lord. I will. Since Aang's not 100 percent, I'm going to kill the Fire Lord right here, right now! IT ENDS HERE!" Sokka lets loose his mighty arrow. The arrow splits up and becomes 25 arrows, and they're all heading right for the Fire Lord! Sokka smiled to himself, hoping to hit every single part of the Fire Lord's body with so many projectiles.

The Fire Lord raised his hand and created an enormous pulse of fire around him, almost looking like a fiery bubble. The wave of fire immediately burned away all the arrows, burning them away into harmless pieces of dead wood. The Fire Lord got up and let his eyes burn with fury. Those very eyes were right on Sokka. Feeling sweat pour down his face and hands trembling, Sokka prepared another arrow.

Katara grabbed Sokka by the wrist and tried to pull him away from the amphitheater.

"Sokka, we have to go!"

"Katara, no! This is our only chance to end the war!"

"This is not the time, Sokka! He'll kill you! I… I don't want to lose you! If anything happens to you, how can I go on? This isn't the time to stop the Fire Lord. When we're ready, we'll stop him. All of us." Sokka felt his rage dying down and looked into the eyes of Katara. Sokka smiled and placed his hand on hers.

"Okay, sis. Let's get out of here."

"Hey, you two! Are you gonna get out of there or what?" Toph called out. When they noticed how impatient Toph was becoming, Sokka and Katara high-tailed out of the Palace. Everyone was finally out. As soon as Sokka and Katara got out, Aang and Toph got into their earth-bending position.

"Ready, Toph?"

"Hell yeah!" Aang and Toph stomped their feet into the streets. A huge piece of earth ripped right out of the streets. With one motion, Aang and Toph clogged the gigantic hole that violated the Royal Palace. Glad that nobody could get through the clog, Aang and Toph clamped hands in triumph.

"Oh yeah! You and I are truly an unstoppable team!" Toph said.

"You said it, Toph! We can take on ANYBODY!" Aang added. Toph's smile slowly faded away. A tear began to stream down her face.

"Toph? What's the matter?" Toph quickly wrapped her arms around Aang, holding him tight like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, Aang! I thought… I thought I was going to lose you back there! Promise me we'll always be together! Promise me," Toph pleaded. Feeling tears dripping onto his shoulder, Aang held onto Toph and gently stroke her back.

"I promise that I we'll always be together. Always…" Aang said softly. Kiba whistled into the air. Seconds later, a pair of horses trotted their way and stopped in front of the Aang gang.

"Avatar Aang. Take these horses and get out of the capital as quickly as possible!" Kiba said.

"But what about you, Kiba? You're outlaws to the Fire Nation now. Where will you go?" Aang asked.

"Don't worry about us. We're survivors just like you. Now hurry and GO!" Aang and Toph quickly mounted on one of the horses, Toph holding onto Aang's waist. Sokka and Katara mounted onto the other horse.

"We'll never forget you, Kiba. You've done so much for us. Thanks for getting us out of there alive," Aang said.

"Hey, it's no big deal. You would have done the same for us. Now get going, will ya? Take care of yourself, little brother."

"See ya around… big brother." With a good whip of the harness, Aang got the horse running at maximum speed, followed by Sokka's horse. The Aang gang rode their horses through the streets of the Fire Nation capital. The sooner they get to sense the trees and the mountains, the safer they'll feel. Eventually, the whole gang made it out of the capital without any problems. The military was too busy keeping the populace under control when the Royal Palace was still being barraged by unknown, powerful projectiles. Aang smiled to himself while Toph tightened her hold around his waist.

"Whoever you are out there… thanks." Aang said to himself.

-:-:-

"Thanks for giving us more supplies, Wing Shu."

"It is a pleasure having the Avatar and his friends as our guests. Feel free to come back to Zhang any time you want."

Aang and his friends were getting ready to leave Zhang and be on their merry way. It had been three days since Aang and his friends returned from the Fire Nation and put an end to their dilemma with the Dark Inferno Clan. As soon as they all returned to Zhang, the entire city celebrated for their return and gave them a victory party. Everyone had a blast, especially Aang and Toph. The two young teens rarely had time to have fun like real kids, and the couple didn't waste a single minute.

"You know, Sokka? I wish we found out who lent us a hand back at the Fire Nation. I want to thank him for all the help he gave us," Aang said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. There was no doubt that whoever provided for us cover-fire was a true genius! Man, I could learn a lot from this guy," Sokka added. Momo and Appa gave Mitsubishi a wink. Mitsubishi smiled and winked back.

"Hey, Sugar Queen. You were really awesome back there. No hard feelings?" Toph asked, offering Katara a handshake. Katara smiled and shook hands with Toph.

"No hard feelings," Katara said, being a good sport. Eventually the whole gang strapped their supplies securely onto Appa's saddle. Seeing all of his friends ready, Aang got onto Appa's neck and grabbed the harness.

"We'll never forget you, Wing Shu. We'll always be in your debt. Time to go, Appa! YIP YIP!" Appa roared to Aang's command and flew off into the sky. Thousands and thousands of Zhang's citizens waved farewell to the Aang gang, grateful that they get to have heroes to stay in their benevolent city. Wing Shu smiled.

"May destiny lead you to victory, Avatar Aang." Wing Shu said.

Feeling the warm breeze, Toph wrapped her arm around Aang's waist. She smiled as she let her body touch his. Aang couldn't help but wrap his arm around her waist and rub his cheek into hers.

"That was one hell of an adventure, Toph. Where should we go next?"

"How about we head to the Springs of Kyoshi? I heard their hot-springs are legendary. Besides, I can't wait to have you get out of your clothes…" Toph said slyly. Aang blushed and giggled.

"… And I can't wait to have you get out of yours…" Aang said, picturing Toph in a sexy swimsuit. Toph giggled and gave Aang a kiss on the cheek. Aang slowly turned to Toph and kissed her back, squarely on the lips. Toph leaned in closer to Aang and brushed her lips into his, enjoying the taste of her beloved. Putting Appa on auto-pilot, Aang had Toph lie down with him and continued to kiss her. Their heat continued to rise when their chests touched and their hands gently stroked each other's back. Toph finally broke away from Aang's kiss.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes. Do you think the Dark Infernos are going to be all right?"

"They'll be all right, Toph. Like Kiba said: they're survivors. At least we have more allies to take down the Fire Lord. When the time is right, we'll fight side by side and _mmmmm_…." Toph's delicious kiss silenced the Avatar. Smiling to himself, Aang held onto Toph and gently brushed his lips into hers.

"Less talking, more kissing…" Toph whispered.

-:-:-

In the dense Forest of Kosugi, Kiba and Nightingale stood side by side. With the entire Dark Inferno Clan right behind them, the two powerful ninjas slowly looked all around the forest.

"I never imagined myself to be the new warlord of the Dark Inferno Clan," Kiba said.

"I didn't expect that to happen either. I thought we were going to leave the Dark Infernos and live our own lives. It seems that destiny has a change of plans for you."

"Destiny has a change of plans… for the both of us."

"… Kiba."

"This is going to be our new home, Nightingale. Blackburn taught us the best ways to survive, and we must honor his teachings, no matter how dark his heart became. The Dark Infernos will no longer be influenced by the corruption of the Fire Lord or any else within the Fire Nation. Our new beginning starts today." Kiba turned his attention to the entire ninja clan.

"Hear me, Dark Infernos! The fleeting desires bestowed upon us by the Fire Nation will no longer be ours! We left the Fire Nation so we can _truly_ learn the ways of ninjutsu! The Fire Nation has weakened you! Softened you! Well, no more! The Fire Nation corrupted Blackburn, and I won't let it corrupt you! The Forest of Kosugi will be our new training ground! We will train harder than ever, and our spirits will continue to be forged like iron! Let Nature be our true mother." Kiba eyed the biggest tree in front of them, picturing it to be his headquarters. Kiba lowered his eyes.

"… Aang. Thank you. Thank you for opening my eyes. Thank you… for opening my heart. If it weren't for you…none of this would have happened," Kiba said to himself.

"That goes double for me," Nightingale said softly. Kiba turned his attention back to his fellow ninjas. Nightingale smiled to Kiba's growth.

"Come on, Dark Infernos! We got a lot of work to do. We're home. We're truly home."

-:-:-

Katara accepted Aang's choice, but she still couldn't handle seeing Aang and Toph making out. Katara slowly turned away from Aang and Toph, still feeling her heart was in need of mending. Sokka felt hurt seeing Katara all broken-hearted. Sokka sat next to Katara and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay, Katara?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Don't worry. I know there's somebody out there. Who knows? You might find him sooner than you think. Cheer up." Katara smiled to Sokka's words. Gazing into his eyes, Katara gently held Sokka's hand. Feeling how soft his hand was, Katara's smile began to widen.

(I think I already found him…) Katara said to herself. Sokka eyed Katara nervously and began to feel a bead of sweat drop down his head.

(Why is she looking at me like that?!) Sokka asked himself.

**--The End--**


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